According to the local military governor, around 200 graves and one mass grave have been found in the city of Lyman in the eastern Ukrainian region of Donetsk, which was recently recaptured from Kyiv. This was explained by Pavlo Kyrylenko on Friday evening via his Telegram channel. He also published photos showing many small wooden crosses and emergency services in white protective suits. Kyrylenko wrote that the exhumations had already begun.
The strategically important small town, temporarily occupied by Russian troops, was recaptured by the Ukrainians in early October. According to initial findings, the dead might be both Ukrainian soldiers and civilians, it said. How many bodies were in the mass grave has yet to be determined. According to the police, several small children and sometimes entire families were among the people killed.
Ukrainian media had already reported on the discovery of dozens of graves in Lyman last Wednesday. Some of the victims are said to have died from heavy shelling during the Russian conquest of the site in May. The strategically important small town was recaptured by the Ukrainians in early October.
Mass graves had already been found in various parts of Ukraine in the past following the withdrawal of Russian troops. The bodies found in the Kiev suburb of Bucha in early April caused particular international outrage. Hundreds of dead civilians had been found there – some with signs of torture and their hands tied. Since then, Bucha has been considered a symbol for the most serious war crimes.