Investigators in Ukraine are looking for possible evidence of war crimes after the discovery of a mass grave on the outskirts of the recently liberated town of Izium.
Wooden crosses mark burials at a mass grave site in newly liberated Izium, Ukraine. Some of the graves have a name and date written in thick black marker, others have simply a number scrawled across — unidentified.Wooden crosses mark burials at a mass grave site in newly liberated Izium, Ukraine. Some of the graves have a name and date written in thick black marker, others have simply a number scrawled across — unidentified.
White barricade tape weaves between the trees, as workers dressed in blue gowns and paper face masks systematically dig up each grave, one by one, pulling out body after body, examining them and then placing them gently into white body bags lined up nearby.Claire Harbage/NPRUkrainian investigators gather while they exhume bodies from a mass grave site in Izium on Friday.
Izium had a population of around 46,000 before Russia's large-scale invasion was launched in late February. The city was taken on March 1, and soon became Russia's hub of operations for the area. Residents had little time to flee. Thousands ended up living under occupation — which meant constant fighting, no electricity, little access to running water or other resources and cut off communication with the outside world.
A collapsed bridge over a river in Izium. Ukrainian armed forces estimate 80% of the city is ruined from the violence.A collapsed bridge over a river in Izium. Ukrainian armed forces estimate 80% of the city is ruined from the violence."There's a huge amount of work for us to do," said Oleksandr Ilyenkov, Kharkiv region's chief war crimes prosecutor, standing in front of the graves."We have found bodies with signs of torture — hands tied behind backs, ropes around necks.
NPR witnessed at least one such body, with their hands tied behind their back, after it was pulled from a grave.
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