Ukraine: Switzerland calls for probe over Izyum mass graves

Switzerland says it is deeply disturbed by fresh reports of mass graves in Izyum, a territory in east Ukraine that was until recently occupied by Russian forces.

Ukrainians carry bodies that were unearthed from graves in Izyum, Kharkiv region on September 16, 2022. Officials say the burial site, one of the largest in a recaptured city so far, counts more than 440 separate graves. Keystone / Oleg Petrasyuk

The Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs called for “an independent and thorough investigation while taking care of the rights and needs of the victims and their relatives.”

It noted that the the killing of protected persons constitutes a grave breach of international humanitarian law and pointed to the jurisdiction of Ukrainian authorities and the International Criminal Court. 

The United Nations says it hopes to send a monitoring team in the coming days to Izyum, a town that Russia seized shortly after invading Ukraine in February this year. Situated in the Kharkiv Oblast, Izyum served as a strategic hub to supply Russian forces in the east of Ukraine. 

Ukrainian forces recaptured Izyum earlier this month in a bold counteroffensive that yielded rapid territorial gains. President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine raised his country’s flag over the town on Wednesday to mark its liberation. Ukrainian officials say over 400 graves have been found in the forest flanking Izyum.

Russia is a terrorist country. I don't know why the world is slow to recognize it. We liberated Izium. Over 400 graves were found in the forest next to it. How many tortured Ukrainians are there is unknown. How many more of our people must die so that all finally figured it out? pic.twitter.com/0nqqaPPsLKExternal link

— Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) September 16, 2022External link

Neutral Switzelrand’s offers to act as a mediator in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine have been been rebuffed by Moscow. The Kremlin considers the Alpine nation an unfriendly nation because of its decision to join the European Union’s unprecedentedly vigorous sanctions against Russia. 

Last month, Switzerland hosted an international conference in support of Ukraine in the southern Swiss city of Lugano. The Ukraine Recovery Conference agreed a set of principles to oversee the reconstruction of the war-torn country.