IZJUM A gruesome sight unfolds on the edge of the city of Izjum.
Numerous pits have been dug in the sand of the pine forest. There are small bumps on the other side. Some are decorated with a simple wooden cross. Most crosses have just a number.
The small town of Izjum, located in the southern part of Kharkiv, was occupied by Russia for more than five months. It is strategically important. From here, Russia tried to capture the city of Slovyansk.
At least 450 people are buried in the forest
During these five months, many people died in Izjum. No one knows how many.
There were about 15,000 inhabitants in Izjum during the occupation.
According to the authorities, at least 450 people have been buried here in the forest. They add that the number is likely to be significantly higher.
People were buried in this grove for many different reasons.
Some had died in the basements as a result of the difficult humanitarian situation and the lack of medicine.
Among the tortured and executed
Some died in Russian grenade fire. But in addition to them, probably tortured and executed people have also been found here.
The exhumation and investigation of the bodies is just beginning.
Ukraine has already brought close to a hundred criminal investigators from Kyiv and Kharkiv to the scene. Many of them have experience with mass graves in the Kyiv region.
The smell of corpses is nauseating
There are also at least a hundred soldiers in Metsikö whose job it is to dig open graves.
The work is hard both mentally and physically. The smell of corpses is nauseating.
The media has been allowed to follow when the graves start to be opened. On the first day, fifty bodies are going to be exhumed.
Many bodies have been on the ground for months.
The funeral service collected the bodies from the street
Yevgeny has come to the forest to honor the dead. He tells a tough story.
In March, Russia set fire to his house when Russia tried to take over Izjum. Several people died in the apartment building. Residents moved the bodies to the street because it was dangerous to move in the city due to the Russian fire.
The burial service, which operated despite the fighting, retrieved the bodies and buried them in this grove.
During the occupation, the Russians were responsible for registering these deceased. Officially, there are 445 of these graves, but Ukrainians do not trust the occupier’s records. Several bodies could have been found under one cross.
Corpses with their hands tied
But bodies with signs of torture and executions have already been exhumed from the graves.
– One of the first unearthed dead had a rope around his neck. There are also bodies whose hands were tied, says the police chief from Kharkiv Serhiy Bolvinov. He leads the criminal investigation that has started.
It is still too early to assess the extent of these cases, the authorities emphasize.
Ombudsman of the Parliament of Ukraine Dmytro Lubinets says that people – especially soldiers – were tortured.
– We know where this happened, but we don’t want to show the place yet, he says.
A thorough investigation begins
A thorough investigation is now starting.
Every dead body lifted is documented. After that, an autopsy and DNA tests are performed.
International experts assist in this work. The United States has donated equipment with which DNA samples can be analyzed in less than two hours.
Ukrainian soldiers in a mass grave
A short distance away, a large pit is opened. It is a mass grave where the Russians have thrown Ukrainian soldiers. Seventeen of them have already been found in the pit.
The Russians had a base right next to the mass grave. Pots and shelters for tanks have been dug into the terrain.
Living next to the forest Ruslan tells about life next to the Russian base.
– They robbed and forced to show documents and tattoos. We stayed hidden in the basement, Ruslan says. He states that he is lucky to have survived.
But he can’t shake the memories, just like the other residents of Izjum.
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