Izium mass graves

49°12′46″N 37°15′25″E / 49.21278°N 37.25694°E / 49.21278; 37.25694

Izium mass graves
Part of
War crimes in the Russian invasion of Ukraine
Battle of Izium
2022 Kharkiv counteroffensive
Exhumation of the bodies, 16 September 2022
LocationIzium, Kharkiv Oblast
Attack type
War crimes, including torture and execution
VictimsAt least 440 people
Perpetrators Russian Ground Forces

On 15 September 2022, several mass graves, including one site containing at least 440 bodies, were found in woods near the Ukrainian city of Izium after it was recaptured by Ukrainian forces during the Russian invasion of Ukraine.[1][2] The graves contained bodies of people who were killed by Russian forces.[3][4][5] The Ukrainian government believes that over 1,000 civilian residents were killed during the battle for and subsequent Russian occupation of Izium.[6][7]

According to Ukrainian investigators, 447 bodies were discovered in one of the sites including 414 bodies of civilians (215 men, 194 women, 5 children) and 22 servicemen. Most of the dead showed signs of violent death and 30 presented traces of torture and summary execution, including ropes around their necks, bound hands, broken limbs and genital amputation;[8] others might have died from shelling and a lack of access to healthcare.[9]

On 26 September, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that two more mass graves had been found "with hundreds of people".[10]

  1. ^ Lamb, William (15 September 2022). "A mass grave site with 440 bodies was found in Izium, a police official said". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 16 September 2022. Retrieved 26 September 2022.
  2. ^ "Mass grave of more than 440 bodies found in Izium, Ukraine, police say". Reuters. 15 September 2022. Archived from the original on 15 September 2022.
  3. ^ Luke Harding (17 September 2022). "Izium: after Russian retreat, horrors of Russian occupation are revealed". The Guardian. Izium. Archived from the original on 17 September 2022. Retrieved 17 September 2022.
  4. ^ Koshiw, Isobel; Lorenzo, Tondo (16 September 2022). "'Some hanged themselves': the work to find answers amid Izium's mass grave". The Guardian. Izium. Archived from the original on 16 September 2022.
  5. ^ Julia Skoryk (19 September 2022). ""Przebaczyć? Nigdy! To jest nasz wielki, palący ból". Pomordowanych w Iziumie mogą być tysiące" ["Forgive? Never! This our great, burning pain". There may be thousands of murdered people in Izium.]. ukrayina.pl (in Polish and Ukrainian). Lviv: gazeta.pl. Archived from the original on 19 September 2022. Retrieved 19 September 2022.
  6. ^ Orlova, Alisa (13 September 2022). "Over 1,000 Civilians Killed During Russian Occupation of Izyum - Kyiv Post - Ukraine's Global Voice". Kyiv Post. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
  7. ^ "More than 1,000 civilians have died in Izium and 80% of infrastructure is destroyed – city councillor". Ukrainska Pravda. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
  8. ^ "В Ізюмі закінчили ексгумацію – підняли 447 тіл, серед них багато жінок, є діти". Українська правда (in Ukrainian). 23 September 2022. Archived from the original on 27 September 2022. Retrieved 26 September 2022.
  9. ^ "Ukraine says mass burial sites found in retaken town of Lyman". BBC News. 8 October 2022. Retrieved 10 October 2022.
  10. ^ Rai, Arpan; James, Liam (26 September 2022). "New mass graves found in Izyum after Russian troops flee – Ukraine live". The Independent. Archived from the original on 26 September 2022. Retrieved 26 September 2022.