Ombudsman: 981 Bodies Found In Kharkiv Region After De-Occupation

(MENAFN- UkrinForm) This was reported by Dmytro Lubinets, Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights, on Telegram, according to Ukrinform.

“Four years after liberation: the Kharkiv region remembers the crimes of the occupation. I attended an event dedicated to the anniversary of the 2022 Kharkiv offensive operation. At the time, the Defense Forces heroically liberated more than 500 settlements. Practically the entire Kharkiv region was brought back under Ukrainian control,” he said.

The Ombudsman emphasized that behind every liberated city and village are the stories of people who survived the Russian occupation, while the mass graves discovered during the de-occupation became particularly shocking evidence for Ukraine and the world.

“A total of 981 bodies were found in the Kharkiv region. Of these, 774 were civilians: 293 women, 415 men and 27 children. The sex of 39 people could not be established,” Lubinets said.

The Commissioner noted that Izium became one of the most horrific pieces of evidence of the crimes committed during the occupation.

“As of September 2022, of the 436 exhumed bodies, the majority showed signs of violent death, while 30 bore signs of torture. People's bodies were found with their hands bound, ropes around their necks, broken limbs and gunshot wounds,” he stressed.

Lubinets said the Russian occupation was synonymous with systematic violations of human rights and international humanitarian law, including the killing of civilians, unlawful detentions, enforced disappearances, torture, and persecution for pro-Ukrainian views and Ukrainian identity.

“After the liberation, destroyed homes, mined areas, lost property and shattered lives remained. At the same time, some settlements were re-occupied by the enemy starting in 2022. Our citizens once again found themselves under threat from Russian lawlessness. It is our duty to remember every person, document every crime and seek justice!” he concluded.

Read also: Eight more Ukrainians return from temporarily occupied territories – Lubinets

As reported, the 2022 Kharkiv offensive was a lightning-fast counteroffensive by the Ukrainian Defense Forces in September 2022, during which more than 500 settlements and approximately 11,500 square kilometers of territory in the Kharkiv region were liberated, including Balakliia, Izium and Kupiansk.

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