in Izioum, investigators begin to exhume the bodies of the more than 400 graves discovered

Volunteers, shovels in hand, take a path at the entrance to Izioum. Hundreds of graves, a cross on each of them, were discovered on the edge of a hole in this city in eastern Ukraine, taken back from Russian forces. Lukrainian investigators began on Friday, September 16, to exhume the bodies.

>> “They did not die of natural causes, there are many children”: in Izioum, 445 crosses and as many bodies to be exhumed

Questions remain: how were these soldiers killed and who brought them here? In the pockets of their uniforms, identity cards were found. According to investigators, the soldiers died in artillery fights, but not only.

“The first body bore signs of torture. It had a rope around its neck. It was probably strangled”

a Ukrainian investigator

at France Televisions

Another body had, according to these experts, their hands tied behind their backs. Authorities will now attempt to identify the bodies. The Ukrainian authorities are already talking about war crimes. Ukrainian President Volodymy Zelensky said on television that he wanted to shed light on what happened.