(C) Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
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Mass Burial Site Found Near Izyum After Russian Retreat [1]
["Rfe Rl'S Ukrainian Service"]
Date: 2022-09
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said a mass burial site had been found in Izyum on September 15, one day after he visited the city in Ukraine’s northeastern Kharkiv region that was recently liberated by Ukrainian forces.
Zelenskiy did not give details on the number of bodies found but said more information should be available on September 16.
"A mass burial of people was found in Izyum, Kharkiv region," he said. "The necessary procedural actions have already begun there."
A single mass grave with the bodies of Ukrainian soldiers was found along with dozens of graves marked with wooden crosses bearing the names of the deceased in a forested area. Some of the individual graves were decorated with flowers.
Oleh Kotenko, the commissioner for missing persons under special circumstances, told RFE/RL that 20-25 bodies were found in the mass grave. He said it was a mass burial of Ukrainian soldiers.
Zelenskiy said Ukraine wants the world to know what the Russian occupation has caused.
"Bucha, Mariupol, now, unfortunately, Izyum,” he said, invoking the names of other Ukrainian cities where authorities said retreating Russian troops left behind mass civilian graves and evidence of war crimes.
“Russia is leaving death behind it everywhere and must be held responsible,” he said.
Zelenskiy traveled to Izyum on September 14 and took part in a ceremony raising the Ukrainian flag over the liberated city, one of the largest retaken by Ukrainian troops in a recent lightning counteroffensive in the eastern part of the country.
The Ukrainian president met earlier with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen as he looks to add political momentum to Ukraine’s recent military gains and press for progress in providing Ukraine with air defense systems.
Zelenskiy emphasizes the need for progress in talks with Ukraine’s partners for air defense systems later in his nightly address.
"We already have agreements with certain countries, our diplomats are working with others," he said.
Late on September 15 the White House has announced an additional $600 million in military aid for Ukraine as the United States moves to support Kyiv's counteroffensive.
A White House memo said U.S. President Joe Biden would use his Presidential Drawdown Authority, which allows him to authorize the transfer of weapons from U.S. stocks.
The aid consists of equipment and services, as well as training, the White House said in a statement. It did not provide further details on the type of weapons.
After another series of Russian attacks on energy and water infrastructure, Zelenskiy also called on the international community to respond with a "tough and principled reaction."
During von der Leyen’s visit the Russian army launched a new missile attack on Kryviy Rih, hitting a reservoir dam, he said. A strike on the facility the day before had caused flooding in the town.
Russia recently has increased its missile attacks on civilian critical infrastructure in Ukraine. Last week, as a result of Russian strikes, Kharkiv, Sumy, Dnipropetrovsk, and parts of the Donetsk region were temporarily without electricity .
Von der Leyen agreed with Zelenskiy that is it “absolutely vital and necessary to support Ukraine with the military equipment they need to defend themselves.”
The EU leader, who made her third wartime visit to Kyiv, said Ukrainians had proved “that they are able to do this, if they are well equipped.”
She also said Ukraine's progress toward accession into the European Union is "well on track" and she was impressed with the speed and determination at which Ukraine is proceeding.
With reporting by AP and Reuters
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[1] Url:
https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-russia-us-zelenskiy-grave-izyum-von-der-leyen/32036169.html
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