On September 10, the Armed Forces of Ukraine expelled the Russian invaders from the city of Izium, Kharkiv region. Following the example of Bucha and Chernihiv, the Russians left behind death and evidence of their inhuman nature. On the territory of Izium, the exhumation of the first mass grave, which the Russians created in this region, began. More than 440 bodies were found, 99% of them showed signs of torture and evidence of martyrdom: hands were tied, heads were shot, ropes were tied around the necks and limbs were broken.
The UN Human Rights Watch will travel to Izium said it would travel to Izium as soon as possible to investigate Russian atrocities in and around the city. A group to investigate war crimes will immediately follow them.
Anthony Blinken commented on the Izium information and photo and called it "part, horrifically, of a continuing, ongoing story" of Russian brutality towards Ukrainians. The Secretary of State also added that "in many instances, these will amount to war crimes."
"What we are doing is working with Congress right now to see if there is another way forward that could be achieved through the use of the SST designation without any of the unintended consequences that would make it more counterproductive than productive," Anony Blinken.
Russians not just killed people in Izium — they killed entire families. In the same forest, along with hundreds of other people, the bodies of a husband, wife and their 6 years-old daughter were buried. In a video message for Ukrainians, Dmytro Lubinets, commissioner for human rights of the Ukrainian parliament, said:
"There is a whole family next to me... This is a young family... Father, born in 1988, wife, born in 1988. in 1991, and their little daughter born in 2016. We have testimonies from residents that they all died as a result of an air strike carried out by Russian aircraft. There are many, many similar cases," Dmytro Lubinets.
"We also saw a mass grave of Ukrainian army soldiers here. The way they were buried, you will see evidence that their hands were tied, they were killed at close range," Dmytro Lubinets.
Ukraine is documenting the atrocities of the Izium massacre and building an evidence base. Everyone involved will be legally punished.
