exhumations continue in Izium, according to Volodymyr Zelensky

Cover image: It is in a forest located at the western entrance of the city of Izioum that 446 tombs were discovered. For 48 hours, the bodies have been carefully exhumed and listed by the Ukrainian national police and forensic doctors. Izium, Ukraine, September 17, 2022. SAMUEL GRATACAP FOR “THE WORLD

The Czech Presidency of the European Union called on Saturday 17 September for the creation of a special international tribunal after the discovery of hundreds of buried bodies near Izioum, a town recaptured from the Russians in eastern Ukraine, where fighting continues. “In the 21st^ecentury, such attacks against the civilian population are unthinkable and heinous”Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky, whose country holds the rotating presidency of the European Union, said on Twitter on Saturday.
Ukrainian authorities reported on Friday that “450 bodies of civilians bearing traces of violent death and torture” buried in a wood on the outskirts of Izioum. In his daily address, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on Saturday evening that “the exhumation process continues”. “New evidence of torture has been found”he added.
Ukrainian human rights officer Dmytro Lubinets spoke ” most likely more than a thousand Ukrainian citizens tortured and killed in the liberated territories”.
The United States and the European Union expressed their outrage, holding the Russian leadership responsible. Moscow will have to ” accountable “, assured the head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has said she wants Russian President Vladimir Putin to appear before international justice for war crimes.
For his part, the President of the United States, Joe Biden, once again warned his Russian counterpart against the use of chemical or nuclear weapons in Ukraine. “It would change the course of the war, as it has never been since the Second World War. (…) Don’t, don’t, don’t”urged Mr. Biden on CBS, promising a response “consequent” of the United States if this step were to be taken.
On the ground, where the Ukrainian forces armed by the West have taken over thousands of square kilometers thanks to a counter-offensive in the Northeast, fighting and bombardments continue. And Koupianskresumed last week by Ukrainian forces, clashes continue with the Russian army entrenched on the east side of the Oskil river, journalists from Agence France-Presse have noted
A thermal power plant was “bombarded by the Russian invaders” Saturday morning in Mykolaivka, said Pavlo Kyrylenko, the governor of the Donetsk region (East), on Telegram, indicating that Ukrainian firefighters were fighting the fire and that the bombardment had caused drinking water cuts.
Russian army, who denies targeting civilian infrastructure or residential areas, claims to have carried out strikes of ” high accuracy “ against Ukrainian positions in Mykolaiv and Kharkiv regions.
The Zaporizhia nuclear power plant was reconnected to the Ukrainian network, which makes it possible to secure the cooling of the installations, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) announced on Saturday. Clashes between Russians and Ukrainians near the plant in recent weeks had led to the shutdown of all its reactors.