Kyiv: Ukrainian authorities have found a mass grave in the forest near the city of Izium, which was recaptured from the Russian army. The head of the regional police, Sergey Botvinov, told the media that more than 440 bodies were buried here.
A pit was marked with the bodies of 17 Ukrainian soldiers. There are hundreds of other single graves in the area. Above these were wooden crosses.
According to local resident Sergey Gorodko, those killed in the Russian shelling were buried in the populated area in the forest. Human rights activists and journalists arrived at the scene. The spokeswoman for the UN Human Rights Council, Liz Throssell, said a delegation would be sent to the city of Isium.
Mass graves were also found in Bucha and Maripol, where the Russian army retreated earlier.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Russia leaves nothing but death everywhere and that the world should question war crimes.
A few days ago, the Ukrainian army recaptured many areas in the Kharkiv region, including the city of Izium, from Russia.
Meanwhile, in Berdyansk, near Zaporizhia, the deputy head of the Russian-backed rebel regime, Olay Boyko, and his wife were killed. He warned the rebels that the Ukrainian army was behind them and that they would be held accountable for the brutality. Ole Boyko led the local opinion poll on joining Russia.
Five Russian-appointed officials are said to have been killed in southern Ukraine. However, Ukraine did not respond to this.
