On the 206th day of the war, one mass grave calls for another. By recapturing Izium, a strategic city in eastern Ukraine, used as an outpost of the Russian occupation before the counter-offensive of recent days, Ukrainian investigators unearthed 443 graves, and as many bodies . The remains of civilians show signs of torture. This discovery was strongly condemned by the international community; Western leaders still have in mind the images of Boucha’s takeover last March. Bodies of old onlookers lying on their bikes in the middle of the street, this is not forgotten. The horror is repeated without the war tiring Putin: the Russian leader assured yesterday that he was “in no hurry” for a ceasefire.
- Izioum: traces of torture and execution
In Izioum, the excavation of bodies continues. Under the spotlight, as demanded by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, torture comes to light. An AFP journalist was able to see at least one body with its hands tied with a rope, without being able to establish immediately whether it was a civilian or a soldier, the body being too damaged. He thus partly confirms the accusations of regional governor Oleg Synegoubov, on Telegram: “there are several bodies with their hands tied behind their backs and one person is buried with a rope around their neck. Obviously, these people were tortured and executed”. The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights of the United Nations immediately indicated that it wanted to send a team to Izioum to “determine the circumstances of the death of these people”.
- The international community is outraged
Russia is acting in “a dreadful way and it is seen and repeated (…). We see what it leaves in its wake”, commented in Washington the head of American diplomacy Antony Blinken. The United States, though accustomed to theaters of violent operations, are not the only ones to strangle themselves. The EU also said it was “deeply shocked”. “Russia, its political leaders and all those implicated in the continued violations of international law and international humanitarian law in Ukraine will be held to account,” EU Foreign Minister Josep Borrell said in a statement. Same story in France: on Twitter, President Emmanuel Macron condemned “with the greatest firmness the atrocities committed in Izioum, Ukraine, under Russian occupation”.
- Erdogan, Modi and Obrador as peacemakers
Present alongside Russian President Vladimir Putin for a regional summit in Uzbekistan, Turkish Head of State Recep Tayyip Erdogan called, again this Friday, for an end to the conflict in Ukraine “as soon as possible”, while the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi stressed that now is “not the time for war”. After meeting his Chinese counterpart and ally Xi Jinping on Thursday, Mr. Putin first assured that he wanted to end the war “as quickly as possible”, accusing kyiv of “refusing any process of negotiations”. Statements quickly forgotten. Vladimir Putin indicated on Friday that his offensive would continue. “The plan does not require change… We are in no rush,” he said.
On the same day, Mexico announced that it would submit its plan for the “cessation of hostilities” to the UN. The document, which should arrive next week at the same time as the organization’s General Assembly, during which Zelensky is expected to speak, will include details of a possible “peacekeeping mission” in Ukraine. “It is a matter of urgently seeking an agreement to end the war,” declared Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador. This statement by the Mexican president actually has two virtues. Presenting oneself as a peacemaker, while declaring war on the UN. According to Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, the organization “remains inactive” and “prey to a formalism and political inefficiency that confines it to a purely decorative role”. Pacifism is not devoid of all violence.
- Berlin, “the wall of weapons”
Berlin came under renewed criticism from kyiv on Friday over arms deliveries, with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba lamenting that the recently announced shipment of armored vehicles does not meet the country’s immediate needs. The German Ministry of Defense announced on Thursday that it would make 50 “Dingo” type all-terrain transport vehicles available to Ukraine “very soon”.
“It’s a mystery to us: we are currently asking for Leopard tanks or Marten tanks, and Germany is supplying the armored vehicles of the Dingo type. This too is useful, and we are grateful to you. But it is not what we need most in combat,” Kouleba said in an interview posted online by the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) daily. Dmytro Kouleba confides his impression that there is “a kind of wall of weapons” in Berlin. “I think for the Chancellor the time has come to tear down this wall.” What disturbs the Germanic calm?