Izyum Ukraine: 450 mass grave show signs of torture, entire families killed

Officials are discovering the full destruction that occurred in a recaptured Ukraine city that was hit with more than six months of Russian attack.

WARNING: Confronting

The mass graves found in a forest near the recaptured Ukraine city of Izyum are believed to be of “tortured” bodies and “entire families,” according to President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Russian forces have attempted to capture the eastern city since the beginning of the invasion, as the town would connect their forces from occupied areas of Donbas to the Kharkiv Olbast which borders Russia.

On September 10, Ukraine recaptured Izyum, also known as Izium, forcing Russian troops to withdraw. However, the carnage left behind has been harrowing.

Bodies found at the burial site contained signs of torture. Picture: Sergey Bobok/ AFP.

As it stands, Zelensky claims 450 people are buried at the site, in what has been one of the biggest discoveries of its kind since the invasion, and one of the biggest mass graves in Europe since the Balkan wars in the 1990s.

“As of today, there are 450 dead people, buried. But there are others, separate burials of many people. Tortured people. Entire families in certain territories,” he said on Friday.

Kharkiv Governor Oleh Synehubov said bodies had been found with hands tied behind their backs, with most believed to be of civilians who carried “signs of violent death”. At least 17 soldiers were also identified, some of who appeared to have been tortured.

“Each fact will be investigated and will be properly and legally evaluated,” he said.

Ukraine officials say they have counted more than 450 graves at just one burial site. Picture: Juan Barreto/ AFP.

‘Couldn’t erase the smell of death’

In the week since Ukraine took back Izyum, officials have been attempting to identify the deceased, and make sense of how they died.

On Friday, CNN journalists said even the “heavy rainfall couldn’t erase the smell of death in the pine forest” as investigators continued to work through the mass burial site. They said most graves

“Officials were transporting body bags, including one that appeared to be holding something very small, into a refrigerated truck,” they wrote.

Forensic technicians carry a body bag in a forest on the outskirts of Izyum. Picture: Sergey Bobok/ AFP.

According to the Ukrainian Parliament’s Commissioner for Human Rights, Dmytro Lubinets officials were told that one of the “young” families buried in the graves perished in a Russian air strike.

“Also we saw here a mass burial of servicemen of the Ukrainian army. The way they were buried – you will see evidence that their hands were tied, they were killed at close range,” said Mr Lubinets.

Officials dig a grave in a forest on the outskirts of Izyum. Picture: Sergey Bobok/ AFP.

Zelensky’s plea after discovery

On Saturday morning Mr Zelensky accused Russia of being a “terrorist country” and called on international governments for action.

“Russia is a terrorist country. I don’t know why the world is slow to recognise it,” he tweeted.

“We liberated Izium. Over 400 graves were found in the forest next to it. How many tortured Ukrainians are there is unknown.

“How many more of our people must die so that all finally figured it out?”

Russia is a terrorist country. I don't know why the world is slow to recognize it. We liberated Izium. Over 400 graves were found in the forest next to it. How many tortured Ukrainians are there is unknown. How many more of our people must die so that all finally figured it out? pic.twitter.com/0nqqaPPsLK

— Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) September 16, 2022

Despite this, the mass graves have been denied by Russian authorities, with the Russian-appointed administrative head of the Kharkiv region Vitaly Ganchev, going as far to accuse Ukrainians of staging the atrocity.

“I have not heard anything about burials,” he told state television channel Rossiya-24.

The destruction of Izyum has been compared to the carnage seen in the hard hit cities of Bucha and Mariupol

“Russia leaves death behind everywhere. And she must respond. The world must really hold Russia responsible for this war. We are going to do everything we can to do that,” said regional police official, Sergei Botvinov.