Ukraine’s Ambassador to the United States Oksana Markarova speaks during a news conference at the Embassy of Ukraine in Washington, Thursday, Feb. 24, 2022.
AP Photo/Patrick Semansky
Ukrainian forces reclaimed the Russian-held territory including the city of Izium.
Officials said they found mass graves and bodies that showed signs of torture in the city.
Ukraine’s ambassador to the US said the atrocities were “war crimes of massive proportions.”
Ukraine’s Ambassador to the United States Oksana Markarova said unmarked graves found in Izium show people were tortured and “war crimes of massive proportions.”
“It’s tortures, rapes, killings — war crimes of massive proportions. That’s why we need to liberate the whole territory of Ukraine as soon as possible because clearly Russians are targeting all Ukrainians,” Markarova said during an interview with ABC News’s “This Week.”
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She added: “Whole families. Children. So, there is no war logic in all of this. It’s simply terrorizing and committing genocide against Ukrainians.”
Last week, Ukraine’s defense ministry said that mass graves were discovered in Izium after the city was retaken by Ukrainian forces. The largest burial site found has 440 unmarked graves. Reuters reported that some of the bodies were found with ropes around their necks and their hands tied.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy compared the atrocities in Izium to those previously seen in Bucha, and Mariupol.
“Russia has already become the biggest source of terrorism in the world, and no other terrorist power leaves behind so many deaths. This must be recognized legally. The world must act,” Zelenskyy wrote in a Telegram post.