Russian War Crimes in Izium and Balakliia Revealed
The liberation of approximately 6,000 square kilometers of Ukrainian territory in the first weeks of September — particularly the expulsion of Russian forces from Kharkiv region — opened to the world new numerous crimes that Russia’s army committed and continues committing in occupied regions of Ukraine. War crimes in Izium and Balakliia represent just a fraction of atrocities Russians inflicted on Ukrainian civilians.
From liberated villages and cities of Kharkiv and Donetsk regions, testimonies appear daily about torture, murder, kidnapping, and abuse that Russian occupiers inflicted on local residents. Such facts once again confirm that the actions of Russian forces in Bucha and other settlements of Kyiv, Sumy, and Chernihiv regions were not a random manifestation of Russian cruelty — Russian troops act exactly this way everywhere they capture Ukrainian lands.
The Forest of Death Near Izium
Right now, exhumation of corpses is underway from just one mass burial site near Izium. Even the external appearance of this forest of death is a twin of Bykivnia¹, Katyn², and thousands of other similar places. All this existed before putin’s birth and woke up again. Executions, torture, executions, torture… Against the background of what Russians did, Gestapo or SS look like small children. Note that Pootin personally didn’t torture, strangle, or execute anyone. The population of this vile country does all this. They did it before and will do it in the future, until this viper’s nest breaks into small pieces.
Torture Chambers in Balakliia
In de-occupied Balakliia, investigators found a probable torture site after liberation. The basement contained hand restraints and blood traces. Propaganda manuals about Ukrainian “Nazis” lay scattered around. Cells held people captive. National Police Chief Ihor Klymenko stated that investigators discovered 10 torture chambers in de-occupied territories of Kharkiv region.
Near liberated Izium, searchers discovered a mass grave of 447 bodies. The count includes 194 men, 215 women, and 5 children. Investigators have not yet determined the gender of others. Some bodies bear clear signs of torture. On some bodies, executioners tied hands behind their backs.
Testimonies from the Ground
Volunteer Tata Kepler and medic Natalia Leliukh, who are now providing medical and humanitarian aid in de-occupied territories, share their impressions:
De-occupied villages — like April in Kyiv region: horror, bewilderment, and rage. Everyone in our team has harsh flashbacks from April. This is what Hostomel and Bucha looked like. No light. No medicine. For the first time, I distributed all sedatives and ‘heart medications’ to zero. In the hospital there are two therapist doctors, there are several wounded civilians, but there’s no light, water, and drafts from broken windows.
Izium city council deputy Maksym Strelnyk provided estimates according to which at least 1,000 civilians died in Izium alone during Russian occupation. But in our opinion, and considering that just one mass burial revealed almost 450 bodies, this figure may be understated.
The Horror Continues
And we’ve only liberated a small piece of our land where they stayed for just a few months. What will it be like in territories where they created this nightmare for almost ten years? But this is easy to guess from Bucha, where a few weeks were enough for them to do the same. The war crimes in Izium and Balakliia prove that Russians commit genocide systematically, not accidentally. And looking at this, a question arises: what negotiations can there be with those who did all this and are doing it at this minute with our citizens?
Moreover, the time will come to deal with collaborators. Some people surrendered territories to executioners. Then executioners created all this horror on them. Every creature that let executioners onto our land must face conviction. They’re accomplices in precisely these atrocities.
¹Bykivnia — mass execution site near Kyiv used by Soviet NKVD
²Katyn — site of Soviet mass executions of Polish officers in 1940
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