Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced Thursday that his government has located at least one mass burial site outside the newly-liberated city of Izium, furthering the evidence of Russian war crimes, the Associated Press reports.
Situated in a forest, hundreds of graves are marked with simple crosses with numbers written on them. One of the markers notes that it is the grave of 17 Ukrainian soldiers. Investigators say posting made to social media accounts by Russian soldiers point to 25-30 bodies in the grave.
The graves document the massive loss of civilian life that occurred as the Russians attempted to seize Ukraine. Scores of those buried are dead as the result of a missile attack on an apartment complex in Izium.
“Bucha, Mariupol, now, unfortunately, Izium. … Russia leaves death everywhere. And it must be held accountable for it. The world must bring Russia to real responsibility for this war,” Zelenskyy said in his daily video address.