war in Ukraine
According to Zelenskyj, mass grave discovered in recaptured city of Izyum
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy delivers his nightly video address to the nation (stock image)
© Ukrainian Presidential Office / Planet Pix via ZUMA Press Wire / DPA
Ukraine accuses the Russian army of new war crimes. More than 440 bodies are said to have been found in a mass grave in the eastern Ukrainian city of Izyum, which was liberated from the occupying forces.
A mass grave has been found in the city of Izyum in the Kharkiv region, which was recaptured by the Ukrainian army, according to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. “The necessary procedural actions have already begun there,” said the head of state in a video message distributed in Kyiv on Thursday, without giving details on the number of bodies or the cause of death. Journalists are to be taken to the mass grave this Friday. “We want the world to know what really happened and what the Russian occupation led to,” said Zelenskyy.
Police chief speaks of about 440 bodies
Presidential chief Andriy Yermak accused the Russian troops of murder and published a photo of a forest area with crude wooden crosses. All bodies found in the mass grave would be exhumed and forensically examined, Yermak announced. Regional police chief Sergey Botvinov spoke to Sky News about a burial site with around 440 bodies that had been discovered in Izyum. Some of the people were killed by gunfire, others died during bombings.
According to Ukrainian information, the Russians fled the area on Saturday after a counter-offensive by Ukrainian forces. The Defense Ministry in Moscow had spoken of a “regrouping” of its troops, while even sources close to the Kremlin spoke of a devastating defeat. Selenskyj visited Izyum on Wednesday.
“Bucha, Mariupol and now, unfortunately, also Izyum: Russia leaves death everywhere and has to answer for it. The world must hold Russia to real responsibility for this war,” the head of state demanded. After the withdrawal of Russian troops in the spring from the Kiev suburb of Bucha and in numerous other places, including the port city of Mariupol, which was occupied by Moscow, Ukraine complained about the most serious war crimes. According to Ukrainian authorities, hundreds of civilians were killed in Bucha and thousands in Mariupol.
Meanwhile, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has not ruled out that Russian President Vladimir Putin will be held accountable before the International Criminal Court (ICC). There is no doubt that the most serious war crimes are being committed in Ukraine, said von der Leyen on Bild TV. She believes that a trial against Putin before the ICC is “possible”.
The President of the Commission called on the European states to expand military aid to Ukraine. “If they say they need battle tanks, then we should take it seriously and deliver it to them,” she told Bild TV. The Ukrainians have proven that they can defend themselves if they “have the right military means”.
US pledges more military aid to Ukraine
Meanwhile, the US government announced further military aid for Ukraine in the amount of the equivalent of 600 million euros. The latest aid package includes military equipment and support, as well as training. According to the US Department of Defense, the delivery includes 37,000 rounds of artillery ammunition and four anti-artillery radar systems. Further ammunition for the Himars missile launcher systems already supplied by the USA will also be made available.
At the same time, Washington announced sanctions against numerous other Russian officials and companies, especially in the technology sector, on its sanctions list. Those affected include pro-Russian officials in occupied areas of Ukraine, but also a Russian neo-Nazi group fighting in the Ukraine war and Putin’s child protection officer Maria Alexeyevna Lwowa-Belowa. She is suspected of overseeing the kidnapping of Ukrainian children to Russia and forced adoptions.
The US government also imposed a ban on the export of quantum computing technology and related software and hardware to Russia and Belarus. In addition, sanctions were imposed on the Russian space industry and computer and technology companies. This is primarily intended to hamper the supply of armaments and the modernization of the Russian military after heavy losses in the Ukraine war.