Officials have begun investigations following a mass grave which was found in a forest in Izium, north-eastern Ukraine, containing over 440 bodies. President Zelensky has compared it to the Bucha massacre and has accused Putin of “leaving death everywhere”. Forensic investigations will be carried out on every grave, which were marked with tiny crosses and a mass exhumation will begin in the following weeks. Thousands of Russian troops fled Izium at the weekend following the Ukrainian counterattack and are now stationed 10 miles from Izium near the Oskil River. Russia continues to deny that it targets civilians or commits war crimes.  

LYMEC condemns the ongoing genocide carried out by Russian soldiers and Vladimir Putin. We passed a resolution at the most recent Congress entitled “Recognition of the Genocide of the Ukrainian People by the Russian Federation”. Russian troops have committed one of “the most terrible war crimes” since World War II by the grisly civilian massacre of innocent people in Ukrainian areas. They have inflicted gruesome deaths on civilians and have left those who survived with lifetimes of trauma. Russian troops have relocated Ukrainian children to Russian territories, forcing them to forget their own self-identity.

“The Russian military has systematically carried out premeditated killings of civilians and created inhumane living conditions, blocked settlements, prevented the transfer of humanitarian aid and the evacuation of civilians, and seized and deliberately destroyed infrastructure facilities that provide basic human needs. Russian troops have committed numerous cases of physical, sexual, and psychological violence against the population of Ukraine, including women, children, infants, and the elderly, regardless of their gender.”

LYMEC has called for the actions of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation and its political and military leadership to be recognised as a genocide of the Ukrainian people. All national, European, and international institutions should recognise the Russian genocide of the Ukrainian people as a genocide and acknowledge their crimes against humanity and war crimes against Ukraine. LYMEC appeals to all Member States to assist the International Court of Justice in collecting evidence and ensuring that the individuals responsible are prosecuted for the genocide to the full extent provided by international law.

The full resolution can be read here. LYMEC continues to stand with Ukraine. Slava Ukraini!