AP

Ukrainian president: Mass grave found near recaptured city

Sep 14, 2022, 12:37 PM | Updated: Sep 15, 2022, 11:53 pm

Iuriy Usatyi, a Ukrainian national guard serviceman walks on the destroyed Russian APC's at the che...

Iuriy Usatyi, a Ukrainian national guard serviceman walks on the destroyed Russian APC's at the checkpoint near the recently retaken area of Izium, Ukraine, Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

(AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)


              Iuriy Usatyi, a Ukrainian national guard serviceman walks on the destroyed Russian APC's at the checkpoint near the recently retaken area of Izium, Ukraine, Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
            
              A view of unidentified graves of civilians and Ukrainian soldiers in a cemetery in the recently retaken area of Izium, Ukraine, Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022 who had been killed by Russian forces near the beginning of the war. A mass grave of Ukrainian soldiers and unknown buried civilians was found in the forest of recently recaptured city of Izium. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
            
              Svetlana Chabanova shows a hole on the roof of her house after Russian attack, in the recently retaken area of Izium, Ukraine, Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2022. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
            
              A Ukrainian serviceman stands at the checkpoint near the recently retaken area of Izium, Ukraine, Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
            
              Houses destroyed and damaged after Russian attack on civilian neighbourhood in the recently retaken area of Izium, Ukraine, Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2022. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
            
              A Ukrainian serviceman sits in a tank, in the recently retaken area of Izium, Ukraine, Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2022. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
            
              Ukrainian paratroopers drive on the vehicle with Ukrainian flag on the pontoon bridge across Siverskiy-Donets river in the recently retaken area of Izium, Ukraine, Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2022. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
            
              Svetlana Iezyk, right, Volodymyr Iezyk, left, and Andrii Iezyk gather at the entrance of their apartment in the recently retaken area of Izium, Ukraine, Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022 which since the beginning of the war has been without gas, water and electricity. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
            
              Andrii Iezyk shows the destroyed flat in his house in the recently retaken area of Izium, Ukraine, Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022. Iezyk's family have since the beginning of the war lived without gas, water and electricity. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
            
              Oleg Kotenko, the Commissioner for Issues of Missing Persons under Special Circumstances looks at the unidentified graves of civilians and Ukrainian soldiers in the recently retaken area of Izium, Ukraine, Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022 who had been killed by Russian forces near the beginning of the war. A mass grave of Ukrainian soldiers and unknown buried civilians was found in the forest of recently recaptured city of Izium. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
            
              Oleg Kotenko, the Commissioner for Issues of Missing Persons under Special Circumstances uses his smartphone to film the unidentified graves of civilians and Ukrainian soldiers in the recently retaken area of Izium, Ukraine, Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022 who had been killed by Russian forces near the beginning of the war. A mass grave of Ukrainian soldiers and unknown buried civilians was found in the forest of recently recaptured city of Izium. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
            
              A view of unidentified graves of civilians and Ukrainian soldiers in a cemetery in the recently retaken area of Izium, Ukraine, Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022 who had been killed by Russian forces near the beginning of the war. A mass grave of Ukrainian soldiers and unknown buried civilians was found in the forest of recently recaptured city of Izium. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
            
              A Ukrainian serviceman uses a metal detector to inspect a mass grave in the recently retaken area of Izium, Ukraine, Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022 which contains Ukrainian soldiers who were killed during the fighting against Russians near the beginning of the war. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
            
              Oleg Kotenko, the Commissioner for Issues of Missing Persons under Special Circumstances, left, speaks to his comrade near the unidentified graves of civilians and Ukrainian soldiers in the recently retaken area of Izium, Ukraine, Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022 who had been killed by Russian forces near the beginning of the war. A mass grave of Ukrainian soldiers and unknown buried civilians was found in the forest of recently recaptured city of Izium. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
            
              Oleg Kotenko, the Commissioner for Issues of Missing Persons under Special Circumstances uses his smartphone to film the grave a Ukrainian soldier in the recently retaken area of Izium, Ukraine, Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022 who had been killed by Russian forces near the beginning of the war. A mass grave of Ukrainian soldiers and unknown buried civilians was found in the forest of recently recaptured city of Izium. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
            
              Iuriy Usatyi, a Ukrainian national guard serviceman walks on the destroyed Russian APC's at the checkpoint near the recently retaken area of Izium, Ukraine, Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
            
              A view of unidentified graves of civilians and Ukrainian soldiers in a cemetery in the recently retaken area of Izium, Ukraine, Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022 who had been killed by Russian forces near the beginning of the war. A mass grave of Ukrainian soldiers and unknown buried civilians was found in the forest of recently recaptured city of Izium. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
            
              Svetlana Chabanova shows a hole on the roof of her house after Russian attack, in the recently retaken area of Izium, Ukraine, Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2022. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
            
              A Ukrainian serviceman stands at the checkpoint near the recently retaken area of Izium, Ukraine, Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
            
              Houses destroyed and damaged after Russian attack on civilian neighbourhood in the recently retaken area of Izium, Ukraine, Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2022. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
            
              A Ukrainian serviceman sits in a tank, in the recently retaken area of Izium, Ukraine, Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2022. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
            
              Ukrainian paratroopers drive on the vehicle with Ukrainian flag on the pontoon bridge across Siverskiy-Donets river in the recently retaken area of Izium, Ukraine, Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2022. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
            
              Svetlana Iezyk, right, Volodymyr Iezyk, left, and Andrii Iezyk gather at the entrance of their apartment in the recently retaken area of Izium, Ukraine, Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022 which since the beginning of the war has been without gas, water and electricity. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
            
              Andrii Iezyk shows the destroyed flat in his house in the recently retaken area of Izium, Ukraine, Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022. Iezyk's family have since the beginning of the war lived without gas, water and electricity. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
            
              Oleg Kotenko, the Commissioner for Issues of Missing Persons under Special Circumstances looks at the unidentified graves of civilians and Ukrainian soldiers in the recently retaken area of Izium, Ukraine, Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022 who had been killed by Russian forces near the beginning of the war. A mass grave of Ukrainian soldiers and unknown buried civilians was found in the forest of recently recaptured city of Izium. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
            
              Oleg Kotenko, the Commissioner for Issues of Missing Persons under Special Circumstances uses his smartphone to film the unidentified graves of civilians and Ukrainian soldiers in the recently retaken area of Izium, Ukraine, Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022 who had been killed by Russian forces near the beginning of the war. A mass grave of Ukrainian soldiers and unknown buried civilians was found in the forest of recently recaptured city of Izium. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
            
              A view of unidentified graves of civilians and Ukrainian soldiers in a cemetery in the recently retaken area of Izium, Ukraine, Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022 who had been killed by Russian forces near the beginning of the war. A mass grave of Ukrainian soldiers and unknown buried civilians was found in the forest of recently recaptured city of Izium. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
            
              A Ukrainian serviceman uses a metal detector to inspect a mass grave in the recently retaken area of Izium, Ukraine, Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022 which contains Ukrainian soldiers who were killed during the fighting against Russians near the beginning of the war. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
            
              Oleg Kotenko, the Commissioner for Issues of Missing Persons under Special Circumstances, left, speaks to his comrade near the unidentified graves of civilians and Ukrainian soldiers in the recently retaken area of Izium, Ukraine, Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022 who had been killed by Russian forces near the beginning of the war. A mass grave of Ukrainian soldiers and unknown buried civilians was found in the forest of recently recaptured city of Izium. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
            
              Oleg Kotenko, the Commissioner for Issues of Missing Persons under Special Circumstances uses his smartphone to film the grave a Ukrainian soldier in the recently retaken area of Izium, Ukraine, Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022 who had been killed by Russian forces near the beginning of the war. A mass grave of Ukrainian soldiers and unknown buried civilians was found in the forest of recently recaptured city of Izium. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
            
              Iuriy Usatyi, a Ukrainian national guard serviceman walks on the destroyed Russian APC's at the checkpoint near the recently retaken area of Izium, Ukraine, Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
            
              A view of unidentified graves of civilians and Ukrainian soldiers in a cemetery in the recently retaken area of Izium, Ukraine, Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022 who had been killed by Russian forces near the beginning of the war. A mass grave of Ukrainian soldiers and unknown buried civilians was found in the forest of recently recaptured city of Izium. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
            
              Svetlana Chabanova shows a hole on the roof of her house after Russian attack, in the recently retaken area of Izium, Ukraine, Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2022. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
            
              A Ukrainian serviceman stands at the checkpoint near the recently retaken area of Izium, Ukraine, Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
            
              Houses destroyed and damaged after Russian attack on civilian neighbourhood in the recently retaken area of Izium, Ukraine, Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2022. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
            
              A Ukrainian serviceman sits in a tank, in the recently retaken area of Izium, Ukraine, Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2022. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
            
              Ukrainian paratroopers drive on the vehicle with Ukrainian flag on the pontoon bridge across Siverskiy-Donets river in the recently retaken area of Izium, Ukraine, Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2022. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
            
              Svetlana Iezyk, right, Volodymyr Iezyk, left, and Andrii Iezyk gather at the entrance of their apartment in the recently retaken area of Izium, Ukraine, Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022 which since the beginning of the war has been without gas, water and electricity. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
            
              Andrii Iezyk shows the destroyed flat in his house in the recently retaken area of Izium, Ukraine, Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022. Iezyk's family have since the beginning of the war lived without gas, water and electricity. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
            
              Oleg Kotenko, the Commissioner for Issues of Missing Persons under Special Circumstances looks at the unidentified graves of civilians and Ukrainian soldiers in the recently retaken area of Izium, Ukraine, Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022 who had been killed by Russian forces near the beginning of the war. A mass grave of Ukrainian soldiers and unknown buried civilians was found in the forest of recently recaptured city of Izium. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
            
              Oleg Kotenko, the Commissioner for Issues of Missing Persons under Special Circumstances uses his smartphone to film the unidentified graves of civilians and Ukrainian soldiers in the recently retaken area of Izium, Ukraine, Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022 who had been killed by Russian forces near the beginning of the war. A mass grave of Ukrainian soldiers and unknown buried civilians was found in the forest of recently recaptured city of Izium. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
            
              A view of unidentified graves of civilians and Ukrainian soldiers in a cemetery in the recently retaken area of Izium, Ukraine, Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022 who had been killed by Russian forces near the beginning of the war. A mass grave of Ukrainian soldiers and unknown buried civilians was found in the forest of recently recaptured city of Izium. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
            
              A Ukrainian serviceman uses a metal detector to inspect a mass grave in the recently retaken area of Izium, Ukraine, Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022 which contains Ukrainian soldiers who were killed during the fighting against Russians near the beginning of the war. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
            
              Oleg Kotenko, the Commissioner for Issues of Missing Persons under Special Circumstances, left, speaks to his comrade near the unidentified graves of civilians and Ukrainian soldiers in the recently retaken area of Izium, Ukraine, Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022 who had been killed by Russian forces near the beginning of the war. A mass grave of Ukrainian soldiers and unknown buried civilians was found in the forest of recently recaptured city of Izium. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
            
              Oleg Kotenko, the Commissioner for Issues of Missing Persons under Special Circumstances uses his smartphone to film the grave a Ukrainian soldier in the recently retaken area of Izium, Ukraine, Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022 who had been killed by Russian forces near the beginning of the war. A mass grave of Ukrainian soldiers and unknown buried civilians was found in the forest of recently recaptured city of Izium. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
            
              Iuriy Usatyi, a Ukrainian national guard serviceman walks on the destroyed Russian APC's at the checkpoint near the recently retaken area of Izium, Ukraine, Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
            
              A view of unidentified graves of civilians and Ukrainian soldiers in a cemetery in the recently retaken area of Izium, Ukraine, Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022 who had been killed by Russian forces near the beginning of the war. A mass grave of Ukrainian soldiers and unknown buried civilians was found in the forest of recently recaptured city of Izium. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
            
              Svetlana Chabanova shows a hole on the roof of her house after Russian attack, in the recently retaken area of Izium, Ukraine, Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2022. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
            
              A Ukrainian serviceman stands at the checkpoint near the recently retaken area of Izium, Ukraine, Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
            
              Houses destroyed and damaged after Russian attack on civilian neighbourhood in the recently retaken area of Izium, Ukraine, Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2022. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
            
              A Ukrainian serviceman sits in a tank, in the recently retaken area of Izium, Ukraine, Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2022. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
            
              Ukrainian paratroopers drive on the vehicle with Ukrainian flag on the pantone bridge across Siverskiy-Donets river in the recently retaken area of Izium, Ukraine, Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2022. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
            
              Svetlana Iezyk, right, Volodymyr Iezyk, left, and Andrii Iezyk gather at the entrance of their apartment in the recently retaken area of Izium, Ukraine, Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022 which since the beginning of the war has been without gas, water and electricity. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
            
              Andrii Iezyk shows the destroyed flat in his house in the recently retaken area of Izium, Ukraine, Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022. Iezyk's family have since the beginning of the war lived without gas, water and electricity. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
            
              Oleg Kotenko, the Commissioner for Issues of Missing Persons under Special Circumstances looks at the unidentified graves of civilians and Ukrainian soldiers in the recently retaken area of Izium, Ukraine, Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022 who had been killed by Russian forces near the beginning of the war. A mass grave of Ukrainian soldiers and unknown buried civilians was found in the forest of recently recaptured city of Izium. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
            
              Oleg Kotenko, the Commissioner for Issues of Missing Persons under Special Circumstances uses his smartphone to film the unidentified graves of civilians and Ukrainian soldiers in the recently retaken area of Izium, Ukraine, Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022 who had been killed by Russian forces near the beginning of the war. A mass grave of Ukrainian soldiers and unknown buried civilians was found in the forest of recently recaptured city of Izium. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
            
              A view of unidentified graves of civilians and Ukrainian soldiers in a cemetery in the recently retaken area of Izium, Ukraine, Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022 who had been killed by Russian forces near the beginning of the war. A mass grave of Ukrainian soldiers and unknown buried civilians was found in the forest of recently recaptured city of Izium. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
            
              A Ukrainian serviceman uses a metal detector to inspect a mass grave in the recently retaken area of Izium, Ukraine, Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022 which contains Ukrainian soldiers who were killed during the fighting against Russians near the beginning of the war. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
            
              Oleg Kotenko, the Commissioner for Issues of Missing Persons under Special Circumstances, left, speaks to his comrade near the unidentified graves of civilians and Ukrainian soldiers in the recently retaken area of Izium, Ukraine, Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022 who had been killed by Russian forces near the beginning of the war. A mass grave of Ukrainian soldiers and unknown buried civilians was found in the forest of recently recaptured city of Izium. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
            
              Oleg Kotenko, the Commissioner for Issues of Missing Persons under Special Circumstances uses his smartphone to film the grave a Ukrainian soldier in the recently retaken area of Izium, Ukraine, Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022 who had been killed by Russian forces near the beginning of the war. A mass grave of Ukrainian soldiers and unknown buried civilians was found in the forest of recently recaptured city of Izium. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
            
              A view of unidentified graves of civilians and Ukrainian soldiers in a cemetery in the recently retaken area of Izium, Ukraine, Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022 who had been killed by Russian forces near the beginning of the war. A mass grave of Ukrainian soldiers and unknown buried civilians was found in the forest of recently recaptured city of Izium. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
            
              A Ukrainian serviceman stands at the checkpoint near the recently retaken area of Izium, Ukraine, Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
            
              Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, greets Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev during a meeting on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022. (Sergey Guneev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)
            
              Chinese President Xi Jinping, left, and Russian President Vladimir Putin pose for a photo on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022. (Alexandr Demyanchuk, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)
            
              Svetlana Chabanova shows a hole on the roof of her house after Russian attack, in the recently retaken area of Izium, Ukraine, Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2022. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
            
              Houses destroyed and damaged after Russian attack on civilian neighbourhood in the recently retaken area of Izium, Ukraine, Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2022. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
            
              A Ukrainian serviceman sits in a tank, in the recently retaken area of Izium, Ukraine, Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2022. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
            
              Ukrainian paratroopers drive on the vehicle with Ukrainian flag on the pantone bridge across Siverskiy-Donets river in the recently retaken area of Izium, Ukraine, Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2022. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
            
              Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, right, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen greet each other in Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)
            
              Svetlana Iezyk, right, Volodymyr Iezyk, left, and Andrii Iezyk gather at the entrance of their apartment in the recently retaken area of Izium, Ukraine, Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022 which since the beginning of the war has been without gas, water and electricity. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
            
              Andrii Iezyk shows the destroyed flat in his house in the recently retaken area of Izium, Ukraine, Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022. Iezyk's family have since the beginning of the war lived without gas, water and electricity. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
            
              Oleg Kotenko, the Commissioner for Issues of Missing Persons under Special Circumstances looks at the unidentified graves of civilians and Ukrainian soldiers in the recently retaken area of Izium, Ukraine, Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022 who had been killed by Russian forces near the beginning of the war. A mass grave of Ukrainian soldiers and unknown buried civilians was found in the forest of recently recaptured city of Izium. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
            
              Oleg Kotenko, the Commissioner for Issues of Missing Persons under Special Circumstances uses his smartphone to film the unidentified graves of civilians and Ukrainian soldiers in the recently retaken area of Izium, Ukraine, Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022 who had been killed by Russian forces near the beginning of the war. A mass grave of Ukrainian soldiers and unknown buried civilians was found in the forest of recently recaptured city of Izium. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
            
              A view of unidentified graves of civilians and Ukrainian soldiers in a cemetery in the recently retaken area of Izium, Ukraine, Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022 who had been killed by Russian forces near the beginning of the war. A mass grave of Ukrainian soldiers and unknown buried civilians was found in the forest of recently recaptured city of Izium. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
            
              A Ukrainian serviceman uses a metal detector to inspect a mass grave in the recently retaken area of Izium, Ukraine, Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022 which contains Ukrainian soldiers who were killed during the fighting against Russians near the beginning of the war. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
            
              Oleg Kotenko, the Commissioner for Issues of Missing Persons under Special Circumstances, left, speaks to his comrade near the unidentified graves of civilians and Ukrainian soldiers in the recently retaken area of Izium, Ukraine, Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022 who had been killed by Russian forces near the beginning of the war. A mass grave of Ukrainian soldiers and unknown buried civilians was found in the forest of recently recaptured city of Izium. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
            
              Oleg Kotenko, the Commissioner for Issues of Missing Persons under Special Circumstances uses his smartphone to film the grave a Ukrainian soldier in the recently retaken area of Izium, Ukraine, Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022 who had been killed by Russian forces near the beginning of the war. A mass grave of Ukrainian soldiers and unknown buried civilians was found in the forest of recently recaptured city of Izium. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
            
              Oleg Kotenko, the Commissioner for Issues of Missing Persons under Special Circumstances, left, speaks to his comrade near the unidentified graves of civilians and Ukrainian soldiers in the recently retaken area of Izium, Ukraine, Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022 who had been killed by Russian forces near the beginning of the war. A mass grave of Ukrainian soldiers and unknown buried civilians was found in the forest of recently recaptured city of Izium. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
            
              Russian President Vladimir Putin gestures while speaking to Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022. (Alexandr Demyanchuk, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)
            
              Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, greets Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev during a meeting on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022. (Sergey Guneev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)
            
              Chinese President Xi Jinping, left, and Russian President Vladimir Putin pose for a photo on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022. (Alexandr Demyanchuk, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)
            
              Yevdokia, 65, hugs her son Alexander in front of their house, which was heavily damaged by Russia attack, in the recently retaken area of Izium, Ukraine, Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2022. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
            
              Svetlana Chabanova shows a hole on the roof of her house after Russian attack, in the recently retaken area of Izium, Ukraine, Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2022. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
            
              In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Service, workers repair the structure after the strikes damaged the dam and a nearby pumping station in Kryvyi Rih, Ukraine, Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2022. Ukrainian officials say a Russian missile attack on Sept. 14 struck a dam of a reservoir close to Kryvyi Rih, the birthplace of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, causing flooding in parts of the city. (Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP Photo)
            
              Maria, center, hugs her parents Marina and Alexander during their first meeting after seven months since the beginning of the war in the recently retaken town of Izium, Ukraine, Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2022. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
            
              Houses destroyed and damaged after Russian attack on civilian neighbourhood in the recently retaken area of Izium, Ukraine, Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2022. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
            
              A Ukrainian serviceman sits in a tank, in the recently retaken area of Izium, Ukraine, Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2022. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
            
              Ukrainian paratroopers drive on the vehicle with Ukrainian flag on the pantone bridge across Siverskiy-Donets river in the recently retaken area of Izium, Ukraine, Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2022. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
            
              Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, right, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen greet each other in Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)
            
              Oleg Kotenko, the Commissioner for Issues of Missing Persons under Special Circumstances looks at the unidentified graves of civilians and Ukrainian soldiers in the recently retaken area of Izium, Ukraine, Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022 who had been killed by Russian forces near the beginning of the war. A mass grave of Ukrainian soldiers and unknown buried civilians was found in the forest of recently recaptured city of Izium. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
            
              A view of unidentified graves of civilians and Ukrainian soldiers in a cemetery in the recently retaken area of Izium, Ukraine, Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022 who had been killed by Russian forces near the beginning of the war. A mass grave of Ukrainian soldiers and unknown buried civilians was found in the forest of recently recaptured city of Izium. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
            
              Oleg Kotenko, the Commissioner for Issues of Missing Persons under Special Circumstances uses his smartphone to film the grave a Ukrainian soldier in the recently retaken area of Izium, Ukraine, Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022 who had been killed by Russian forces near the beginning of the war. A mass grave of Ukrainian soldiers and unknown buried civilians was found in the forest of recently recaptured city of Izium. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
            
              Russian President Vladimir Putin gestures while speaking to Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022. (Alexandr Demyanchuk, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)
            
              Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, greets Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev during a meeting on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022. (Sergey Guneev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)
            
              Chinese President Xi Jinping, left, and Russian President Vladimir Putin pose for a photo on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022. (Alexandr Demyanchuk, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)
            
              Yevdokia, 65, hugs her son Alexander in front of their house, which was heavily damaged by Russia attack, in the recently retaken area of Izium, Ukraine, Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2022. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
            
              Svetlana Chabanova shows a hole on the roof of her house after Russian attack, in the recently retaken area of Izium, Ukraine, Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2022. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
            
              In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Service, workers repair the structure after the strikes damaged the dam and a nearby pumping station in Kryvyi Rih, Ukraine, Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2022. Ukrainian officials say a Russian missile attack on Sept. 14 struck a dam of a reservoir close to Kryvyi Rih, the birthplace of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, causing flooding in parts of the city. (Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP Photo)
            
              Maria, center, hugs her parents Marina and Alexander during their first meeting after seven months since the beginning of the war in the recently retaken town of Izium, Ukraine, Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2022. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
            
              Houses destroyed and damaged after Russian attack on civilian neighbourhood in the recently retaken area of Izium, Ukraine, Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2022. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
            
              Ukrainian paratroopers drive on the vehicle with Ukrainian flag on the pantone bridge across Siverskiy-Donets river in the recently retaken area of Izium, Ukraine, Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2022. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
            
              Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, right, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen greet each other in Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)
            
              Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, speaks during joint press conference with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)
            
              A Ukrainian serviceman sits in a tank, in the recently retaken area of Izium, Ukraine, Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2022. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
            
              Russian President Vladimir Putin gestures while speaking to Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022. (Alexandr Demyanchuk, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)
            
              Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, greets Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev during a meeting on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022. (Sergey Guneev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)
            
              Chinese President Xi Jinping, left, and Russian President Vladimir Putin pose for a photo on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022. (Alexandr Demyanchuk, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)
            
              Yevdokia, 65, hugs her son Alexander in front of their house, which was heavily damaged by Russia attack, in the recently retaken area of Izium, Ukraine, Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2022. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
            
              Svetlana Chabanova shows a hole on the roof of her house after Russian attack, in the recently retaken area of Izium, Ukraine, Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2022. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
            
              In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Service, workers repair the structure after the strikes damaged the dam and a nearby pumping station in Kryvyi Rih, Ukraine, Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2022. Ukrainian officials say a Russian missile attack on Sept. 14 struck a dam of a reservoir close to Kryvyi Rih, the birthplace of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, causing flooding in parts of the city. (Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP Photo)
            
              Maria, center, hugs her parents Marina and Alexander during their first meeting after seven months since the beginning of the war in the recently retaken town of Izium, Ukraine, Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2022. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
            
              Houses destroyed and damaged after Russian attack on civilian neighbourhood in the recently retaken area of Izium, Ukraine, Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2022. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
            
              Ukrainian paratroopers drive on the vehicle with Ukrainian flag on the pantone bridge across Siverskiy-Donets river in the recently retaken area of Izium, Ukraine, Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2022. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
            
              Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, right, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen greet each other in Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)
            
              Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, speaks during joint press conference with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)
            
              A Ukrainian serviceman sits in a tank, in the recently retaken area of Izium, Ukraine, Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2022. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
            
              Russian President Vladimir Putin gestures while speaking to Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022. (Alexandr Demyanchuk, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)
            
              Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, greets Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev during a meeting on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022. (Sergey Guneev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)
            
              Chinese President Xi Jinping, left, and Russian President Vladimir Putin pose for a photo on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022. (Alexandr Demyanchuk, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)
            
              Yevdokia, 65, hugs her son Alexander in front of their house, which was heavily damaged by Russia attack, in the recently retaken area of Izium, Ukraine, Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2022. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
            
              Svetlana Chabanova shows a hole on the roof of her house after Russian attack, in the recently retaken area of Izium, Ukraine, Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2022. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
            
              In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Service, workers repair the structure after the strikes damaged the dam and a nearby pumping station in Kryvyi Rih, Ukraine, Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2022. Ukrainian officials say a Russian missile attack on Sept. 14 struck a dam of a reservoir close to Kryvyi Rih, the birthplace of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, causing flooding in parts of the city. (Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP Photo)
            
              Maria, center, hugs her parents Marina and Alexander during their first meeting after seven months since the beginning of the war in the recently retaken town of Izium, Ukraine, Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2022. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
            
              Houses destroyed and damaged after Russian attack on civilian neighbourhood in the recently retaken area of Izium, Ukraine, Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2022. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
            
              Ukrainian paratroopers drive on the vehicle with Ukrainian flag on the pantone bridge across Siverskiy-Donets river in the recently retaken area of Izium, Ukraine, Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2022. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
            
              Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, right, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen greet each other in Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)
            
              Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, speaks during joint press conference with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)
            
              A Ukrainian serviceman sits in a tank, in the recently retaken area of Izium, Ukraine, Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2022. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
            
              Russian President Vladimir Putin gestures while speaking to Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022. (Alexandr Demyanchuk, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)
            
              Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, greets Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev during a meeting on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022. (Sergey Guneev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)
            
              Chinese President Xi Jinping, left, and Russian President Vladimir Putin pose for a photo on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022. (Alexandr Demyanchuk, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)
            
              Yevdokia, 65, hugs her son Alexander in front of their house, which was heavily damaged by Russia attack, in the recently retaken area of Izium, Ukraine, Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2022. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
            
              Svetlana Chabanova shows a hole on the roof of her house after Russian attack, in the recently retaken area of Izium, Ukraine, Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2022. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
            
              In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Service, workers repair the structure after the strikes damaged the dam and a nearby pumping station in Kryvyi Rih, Ukraine, Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2022. Ukrainian officials say a Russian missile attack on Sept. 14 struck a dam of a reservoir close to Kryvyi Rih, the birthplace of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, causing flooding in parts of the city. (Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP Photo)
            
              Maria, center, hugs her parents Marina and Alexander during their first meeting after seven months since the beginning of the war in the recently retaken town of Izium, Ukraine, Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2022. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
            
              Houses destroyed and damaged after Russian attack on civilian neighbourhood in the recently retaken area of Izium, Ukraine, Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2022. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
            
              Ukrainian paratroopers drive on the vehicle with Ukrainian flag on the pantone bridge across Siverskiy-Donets river in the recently retaken area of Izium, Ukraine, Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2022. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
            
              Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, right, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen greet each other in Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)
            
              Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, speaks during joint press conference with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)
            
              A Ukrainian serviceman sits in a tank, in the recently retaken area of Izium, Ukraine, Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2022. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
            
              In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Service, workers repair the structure after the strikes damaged the dam and a nearby pumping station in Kryvyi Rih, Ukraine, Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2022. Ukrainian officials say a Russian missile attack on Sept. 14 struck a dam of a reservoir close to Kryvyi Rih, the birthplace of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, causing flooding in parts of the city. (Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP Photo)
            
              In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Service, rescuers help people for evacuation from a flooded area after what Ukrainain officials said was a Russian missile attack hit and damaged the dam and a nearby pumping station in Kryvyi Rih, Ukraine, Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2022. Ukrainian officials say a Russian missile attack on Sept. 14 struck a dam of a reservoir close to Kryvyi Rih, the birthplace of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, causing flooding in parts of the city. (Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP Photo)
            
              In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Service, rescuers help people for evacuation from a flooded area after what Ukrainain officials said was a Russian missile attack hit and damaged the dam and a nearby pumping station in Kryvyi Rih, Ukraine, Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2022. Ukrainian officials say a Russian missile attack on Sept. 14 struck a dam of a reservoir close to Kryvyi Rih, the birthplace of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, causing flooding in parts of the city. (Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP Photo)
            
              Svetlana Chabanova shows a hole on the roof of her house after Russian attack, in the recently retaken area of Izium, Ukraine, Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2022. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
            
              Ukrainian paratroopers drive on the vehicle with Ukrainian flag on the pantone bridge across Siverskiy-Donets river in the recently retaken area of Izium, Ukraine, Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2022. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
            
              Houses destroyed and damaged after Russian attack on civilian neighbourhood in the recently retaken area of Izium, Ukraine, Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2022. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
            
              A field is covered with craters left by the shelling close to Izium, Kharkiv region, Ukraine, Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2022. Ukrainian troops piled pressure on retreating Russian forces Tuesday, pressing deeper into occupied territory and sending more Kremlin troops fleeing ahead of the counteroffensive that has inflicted a stunning blow on Moscow's military prestige. (AP Photo/Kostiantyn Liberov)
            
              Oleh Lutsai, 70, stands in front of the entrance of the damaged building where he lives in the freed village of Hrakove, Ukraine, Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2022. Lutsai has been living in the basement for months together with other neigbhors. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
            
              The letter Z, which has become the Russian emblem for the war, is seen on a damaged car in the freed village of Hrakove, Ukraine, Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2022. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
            
              Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy poses for a selfie with a police officer after attending a national flag-raising ceremony in the freed Izium, Ukraine, Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2022. Zelenskyy visited the recently liberated city on Wednesday, greeting soldiers and thanking them for their efforts in retaking the area, as the Ukrainian flag was raised in front of the burned-out city hall building. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
            
              A Ukrainian soldier sits inside the truck in the recently retaken Kupiansk in the Kharkiv region, Ukraine, Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2022. Ukrainian troops piled pressure on retreating Russian forces pressing deeper into occupied territory and sending more Kremlin troops fleeing ahead of the counteroffensive that has inflicted a stunning blow on Moscow's military prestige. (AP Photo/Kostiantyn Liberov)
            
              Olena Zelenska, the first lady of Ukraine, left, is welcomed by European Parliament President Roberta Metsola, center, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, eastern France, Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2022. (AP Photo/Jean-Francois Badias)
            
              Dressed in the colors of Ukraine, European Union Commission Chief Ursula von der Leyen delivers her State of the European Union address, Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2022 at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, eastern France. Ursula von der Leyen announced a visit to Kyiv later Wednesday to show the bloc's support for Ukraine as it fights back against the Russian invasion. (AP Photo/Jean-Francois Badias)
            
              European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen gestures as she speaks on Ukraine at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, eastern France, Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2022. Olena Zelenska, the first lady of Ukraine, center. (AP Photo/Jean-Francois Badias)

IZIUM, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian authorities found a mass burial site near a recaptured northeastern city previously occupied by Russian forces, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced Thursday night.

The grave was discovered close to Izium in the Kharkiv region.

“The necessary procedures have already begun there. More information — clear, verifiable information — should be available tomorrow,” Zelenskyy said in his nightly televised address.

Associated Press journalists saw the site Thursday in a forest outside Izium. Amid the trees were hundreds of graves with simple wooden crosses, most of them marked only with numbers. A larger grave bore a marker saying it contained the bodies of 17 Ukrainian soldiers.

Investigators with metal detectors were scanning the site for any hidden explosives.

Oleg Kotenko, an official with the Ukrainian ministry tasked with reintegrating occupied territories, said videos that Russian soldiers posted on social media indicated there were likely more than 17 bodies in the grave.

“We haven’t counted them yet, but I think there are more than 25 or even 30,” he said.

Izium resident Sergei Gorodko said that among the hundreds buried in individual graves were dozens of adults and children killed in a Russian airstrike on an apartment building.

He said he pulled some of them out of the rubble “with my own hands.”

Zelenskyy invoked the names of other Ukrainian cities where authorities said retreating Russian troops left behind mass graves of civilians and evidence of possible war crimes.

” Bucha, Mariupol, now, unfortunately, Izium. … Russia leaves death everywhere. And it must be held accountable for it. The world must bring Russia to real responsibility for this war,” he said in the address.

Sergei Bolvinov, a senior investigator for Ukrainian police in the eastern Kharkiv region, told British TV broadcaster Sky News that a pit containing more than 440 bodies was discovered near Izium after Kyiv’s forces swept in. He described the grave as “one of the largest burial sites in any one liberated city.”

Some of the people buried in the pit were shot. Others died from artillery fire, mines or airstrikes. Many of the bodies have not been identified yet, Bolvinov said.

Russian forces left Izium and other parts of the Kharkiv region last week amid a stunning Ukrainian counteroffensive. On Wednesday, Zelenskyy made a rare trip outside the capital to watch the national flag being raised over Izium’s city hall.

Deputy Interior Minister Yevhen Enin said Thursday night that other evidence found after Kyiv’s sweeping advance into the Kharkiv region included multiple “torture chambers” where both Ukrainian citizens and foreigners were detained “in completely inhuman conditions.”

“We have already come across the exhumation of individual bodies, not only with traces of a violent death, but also of torture — cut off ears, etc. This is just the beginning,” Enin said in an interview with Ukraine’s Radio NV.

He claimed that among those held at one of the sites were students from an unspecified Asian country who were captured at a Russian checkpoint as they tried to leave for Ukrainian-controlled territory.

Enin did not specify where the students were held, although he named the small cities of Balakliya and Volchansk as two locations where torture chambers were found. His account could not be independently verified.

“All these traces of war crimes are now carefully documented by us. And we know from the experience of Bucha that the worst crimes can only be exposed over time,” Enin said, in a reference to a Kyiv suburb where the bodies of hundreds of civilians were discovered following the Russian army’s withdrawal from the area in March.

Earlier Thursday, Zelenskyy said that during the five months the Russians occupied the region, they “only destroyed, only deprived, only took away.”

“They left behind devastated villages; in some of them there is not a single undamaged house. The occupiers turned schools into garbage dumps and churches — shattered, literally turned into toilets.”

In other developments Thursday, Zelenskyy worked to add political momentum to Ukraine’s recent military gains, while missile strikes that caused flooding near his hometown demonstrated Moscow’s determination to reclaim the battlefield advantage.

A week after the Ukrainian counteroffensive, Zelenskyy met with European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen during her third wartime visit to Kyiv. Von der Leyen publicly conveyed the wholehearted support of the 27-nation bloc and wore an outfit in Ukraine’s national colors.

“It’s absolutely vital and necessary to support Ukraine with the military equipment they need to defend themselves. And they have proven that they are able to do this, if they are well equipped,” she said.

Air raid sirens blared twice in Kyiv during von der Leyen’s meeting with Zelenskyy, a reminder that Russia has long-range weapons that can reach any location in Ukraine even though the capital has been spared attacks in recent weeks.

Ukrainian officials said Russian missiles late Wednesday struck a reservoir dam near Kryvyi Rih, Zelenskyy’s birthplace and the largest city in central Ukraine. The strikes flooded over 100 homes.

Russian military bloggers said the attack was intended to flood areas downstream where Ukrainian forces made inroads as part of their counteroffensive.

The head of the local government on Thursday reported a new attack on the dam and said emergency crews were working to prevent more water from escaping.

The first attack so close to his roots angered Zelenskyy, who said the strikes had no military value.

“In fact, hitting hundreds of thousands of ordinary civilians is another reason why Russia will lose,” he said.

___

Hanna Arhirova in Kyiv and Joanna Koslowska in London contributed reporting.

___

Follow AP war coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

AP

Image: A cargo ship is stuck under the part of the structure of the Francis Scott Key Bridge after ...

Associated Press

Authorities identify 2 bodies recovered at site of Baltimore bridge collapse

A major bridge in Baltimore snapped and collapsed after a container ship rammed into it early Tuesday, and several vehicles fell into the river below.

9 hours ago

Photo: Mountaineer Jim Whittaker has died at 95....

Gene Johnson, The Associated Press

Lou Whittaker, among the most famous American mountaineers, has died at age 95

Lou Whittaker, a legendary American mountaineer who helped lead ascents of Mount Everest, K2 and Denali, has died at age 95.

9 hours ago

File photo: Former Sen. Joe Lieberman speaks in Washington on Jan. 18, 2024....

Associated Press

Former Sen. Joe Lieberman, Democrats’ VP pick in 2000, dead at 82

Former U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, who nearly won the vice presidency on the Democratic ticket with Al Gore in 2000, has died.

10 hours ago

islamic state attack...

Vanessa Gera, The Associated Press

What we know after the Islamic State group claims responsibility for Moscow massacre

The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for an attack on a suburban Moscow concert hall that killed at least 133 people.

4 days ago

Moscow shooting...

The Associated Press

Russia: 60 dead, 145 injured in concert hall raid; Islamic State group claims responsibility

Assailants burst into a concert hall in Moscow on Friday and sprayed the crowd with gunfire, killing over 60 people, injuring more than 100.

6 days ago

Photo: Britain's Kate, Duchess of Cambridge visits 282 (East Ham) Squadron, RAF Air Cadets, Cornwel...

Associated Press

Kate Middleton announces she has cancer, is undergoing chemotherapy

Kate Middleton, Princess of Wales, says she is undergoing chemotherapy to treat cancer. She has been out of view since Christmas.

6 days ago

Ukrainian president: Mass grave found near recaptured city