During a commemorative event for the anniversary of the Kharkiv offensive operation in 2022, Ukrainian Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets announced that 981 bodies have been discovered in the Kharkiv region following its liberation from Russian occupation. He emphasized that this revelation is particularly distressing for Ukraine.
Lubinets reported that among the deceased, 774 were civilians, including 293 women, 415 men, and 27 children, while the genders of 39 individuals remain unidentified. The town of Izium has emerged as a tragic symbol of the atrocities committed during the occupation. As of September 2022, of the 436 exhumed bodies, many exhibited signs of violent death, with 30 showing evidence of torture. Disturbing findings included individuals with bound hands, rope around their necks, broken limbs, and gunshot wounds.
He further noted that the aftermath of the liberation left behind destroyed homes, mined areas, lost property, and shattered lives. Lubinets characterized the Russian occupation as synonymous with systematic violations of human rights and international humanitarian law, including civilian killings, unlawful detentions, enforced disappearances, torture, and persecution based on pro-Ukrainian stances and identities. He stressed that since the area was re-occupied in 2022, citizens once again face threats from Russian abuses, reinforcing Ukraine’s duty to remember every victim, document each crime, and seek justice.
Context
- Russia initiated its war against Ukraine in 2014 by occupying Crimea and parts of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions. On February 24, 2022, Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine from the north, east, and south. In the spring of that year, the Ukrainian army liberated the northern part of the country, and in the fall, parts of the Kharkiv and Kherson regions were reclaimed.
