What liberated Izyum looks like now – NV photo report
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Russian troops retreated from the town of Izyum on Sept. 10 under the pressure of the Ukrainian Army, during Ukraine’s liberation operation in Kharkiv Oblast.
Less than a week later, Ukraine and the world began to learn about the facts of mass war crimes committed by the Russian army in occupied territory.
Last week, Ukrainian defenders began to post the first videos from the liberated town.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited the town on Sept. 14, where, together with the military, he raised the Ukrainian flag over the city council.
However, Oleh Kotenko, Commissioner for Missing Persons under Special Circumstances at Ukraine’s Ministry for Reintegration of the Temporary Occupied Territories, said on Sept. 15 that Ukraine had discovered mass graves on the territory of a copse of trees located in Izyum, and most of the graves had self-made crosses and numbers.
According to the official, most of those buried were killed by Russian artillery fire.
National Police Chief Ihor Klymenko also reported that Ukrainian law enforcement had identified 10 locations in Kharkiv Oblast where the Russian invaders had tortured Ukrainians.
According to Maksym Strelnyk, a member of the Izyum City Council, at least 1,000 civilians died in Izyum during the Russian occupation, while more than 80% of the town’s infrastructure had been destroyed.
NV visited the liberated town, and has compiled a photo report of the devastation the Russians wreaked.
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