Day 205 Roundup: Mass Burial Site Discovered Near Recently Recaptured Izyum in Kharkiv Region
Ukrainian authorities have discovered a mass burial site near the recently recaptured city of Izyum in the Kharkiv region, it was announced on Thursday. Upwards of 440 bodies are believed to be buried within the forest, most marked with a simple wooden cross, while one grave is believed to contai...
Facts
- Ukrainian authorities have discovered a mass burial site near the recently recaptured city of Izyum in the Kharkiv region, it was announced on Thursday. Upwards of 440 bodies are believed to be buried within the forest, most marked with a simple wooden cross, while one grave is believed to contain the bodies of 17 Ukrainain soldiers. Russia controlled the city between mid-March and last week, when its forces withdrew.1
- Officials have said all the bodies will be exhumed to determine their identities and causes of death. Deputy Interior Minister Yevhen Enin claimed some bodies exhibited signs of torture, while it is suspected that others were the victims of shooting, artillery, air strikes, and mines.1
- In his nightly address on Thurs., Ukrainian Pres. Volodymyr Zelenskyy said more information would be available shortly. 'We want the world to know what is really happening and what the Russian occupation has led to,' he said. 'Bucha, Mariupol, now, unfortunately, Izyum... Russia leaves death everywhere. And it must be held accountable for that.' A UN spokesperson said the agency was sending monitors to the area.2
- Meanwhile, further Russian strikes were reported in the Kharkiv region overnight, injuring four civilians. Russia also again hit a reservoir dam in the city of Kryvyi Rih in Dnipropetrovsk, after earlier strikes caused extensive flooding. In Donetsk, Ukrainian officials reported five civilians were killed and six more were injured in Russian shelling. Pro-Russia separatists in the region said nine civilians were injured in Ukrainian shelling.3
- In the Russian-controlled city of Kherson in the south, Ukrainian rockets hit the city's main administration building, as well as its court of appeals, Russian media reported on Friday. At least one person was killed. A blast was also reported on the building of the Gen. Prosecutor of the city of Luhansk, reportedly killing him and his deputy. Meanwhile, at least one civilian was killed and two were injured in Ukrainian shelling of Russia's Belgorod region.4
- Elsewhere, as the US approved a further $600M in military aid to Ukraine, Pres. Joe Biden prepared for meeting with South African counterpart Cyril Ramaphosa at the White House on Friday. Ramaphosa is one of several African leaders to have remained neutral on the conflict. Meanwhile, Germany is bringing three Russian-owned oil refineries in the country under state control, reportedly to ensure energy security.5
Sources: 1Associated Press (a), 2UKRINFORM (a), 3UKRINFORM (b), 4TASS and 5Associated Press (b).
Narratives
- Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by Guardian. Just as in Bucha and Mariupol, Russia has committed horrific war crimes and it must be held accountable for these grave violations of international law.
- Pro-Russia narrative, as provided by TASS. As Russia has documented elsewhere, Ukraine will use Russia's withdrawal from Kharkiv to carry out false flags as a pretext for further attempts to try and weaken Russia. We are already seeing that strategy play out in Izyum.
- Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by USA Today. There have been many brazenly false claims against both sides in this war, so allegations such as these need to be taken with a grain of salt until independently verified.
