AFP
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News from the NOS•today, 20:12
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The rapid advance of the Ukrainian army liberated a large part of the Kharkov region. For the first time since February, the villages and towns of the region are once again accessible to journalists and authorities. Slowly it becomes clearer what life was like under Russian occupation.
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Images from several freed houses clearly show the devastation, but the damage from the fighting in February and March has not yet been repaired. Several civilians were killed during the occupation. Investigations into possible war crimes are ongoing.
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One of the cities where the fiercest battle was fought is Izhum. According to the head of the city council, at least a thousand civilians died there during the Russian occupation. “More people have suffered from the lack of timely medical care,” he told Ukraine korrespondent.net. When the city was captured in March, the Russians reportedly destroyed all medical facilities in Izhum.
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He estimates that 80 percent of the infrastructure has been destroyed. “But the worst is that winter is approaching. The central heating system, used by most of the residents, has been destroyed.”
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CNN was the first international means of communication in Izhum. The team saw there, among other things, a school that was used by the Russians as a command center.
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Izhum after liberation, ‘the Russians behaved like pigs’
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Images of civilians welcoming the Ukrainian army have been shared around the world in recent days. According to CNN, not all civilians in Izhum were happy with their arrival, accusing them of bombing and shelling. Others say that the Russians are responsible for this.
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Most of the inhabitants of the region fled before or during the occupation. Large-scale atrocities, such as those uncovered in Butsha, so far they have not come to light in the region. Most of the dead in the region are victims of bombing or shelling.
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torture
However, the prosecutor is investigating possible war crimes in the village of Zaliznytsjne. In a statement on Facebook Four bodies are said to have been exhumed in the village. All four are said to show signs of torture. According to local residents, these are fellow villagers killed by Russian soldiers.
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The prosecutor is also investigating war crimes in the city of Kharkov and in the villages of Shevshenko and Lozova. This mainly concerns bombings where civilians may have been deliberately hit.
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teachers
During the time the Russians were in power, Russian teachers were brought to the area. Since September 1, classes have been held in Russian in the occupied territories. Videos have circulated on Telegram of soldiers removing books on Ukrainian history from libraries.
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According to Ukrainian MP Oleksiy Gontsjarko, after the liberation, Russian teachers are held in the city of Kuyansk. They should be tried in Ukraine.
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