Kremlin says war crime claims in Izyum are a ‘lie’
Moscow, Sep 19 (EFE).- The Kremlin dismissed Monday claims made by Kyiv that Russian troops committed war crimes in the northeastern Kharkiv region.
“It is the same scenario as in Bucha. It’s a lie, and of course, we will defend the truth in this story,” the Kremlin’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said in his daily news conference.
Ukraine has accused Russian forces of committing war crimes after the discovery of a mass grave in the recently liberated city of Izyum in the Kharkiv region.
Ukrainian authorities claim to have found 440 graves on the outskirts of the city as well as 10 torture chambers across the Kharkiv territory, six of which were located in Izyum.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy drew a comparison between Izyum and Bucha, the city near Kyiv where hundreds of civilian bodies were found, including some with signs of execution, following Russia’s withdrawal from the region in April.
“It’s too early to give figures on how many people have been buried there,” Zelenskyy said Friday following the discoveries.
“There are clear indications of torture and humiliation of the population,” he added.
The European Union has condemned the alleged “atrocities” in Izyum in the “strongest possible terms.”
The United Nations Human Rights mission deployed in Ukraine said it planned to investigate the findings. EFE
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