INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Western leaders voiced revulsion and outrage Thursday after Ukraine found a mass grave outside the formerly Russian-occupied city of Izyum
and said that almost all of the exhumed bodies showed signs of torture.Officials counted 450 hastily dug graves, some marked by rough wooden
crosses at the site in a pine forest only recently recaptured by Ukrainian fighters."Among the bodies that were exhumed today, 99% showed
signs of violent death," Oleh Synegubov, head of Kharkiv regional administration, said on social media."There are several bodies with their
hands tied behind their backs, and one person is buried with a rope around his neck," he added."Russia leaves only death and suffering
Torturers," said Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky
Some of the remains exhumed included children and people who were likely tortured before dying, he added.The European Union is "deeply
shocked" at the newest discovery of a mass grave left by the Russians in the nearly seven-month-old war, said the bloc's foreign policy
chief Josep Borrell."This inhuman behavior by the Russian forces, in total disregard of international humanitarian law and the Geneva
conventions, must stop immediately," he said in a statement.U.S
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that the graves likely provided more evidence that Russia is committing war crimes in its pro-Western
neighbor, and French President Emmanuel Macron said what happened in Izyum were atrocities."I condemn in the strongest terms the atrocities
committed in Izyum, Ukraine, under Russian occupation," Macron tweeted.Those responsible "will have to answer for their acts
Putin, after his forces were driven into retreat in Kharkiv and are under heavy pressure from Ukrainian troops in Donetsk and Kherson.Putin,
at a regional summit in Uzbekistan, was told by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi that now was "not a time for war."The discovery also
came a day after Putin admitted that China, whose leader Xi Jinping was also attending the summit, had expressed "concerns" about the
situation in Ukraine, which Russian forces invaded on Feb
24."I think what you're hearing from China, from India, is reflective of concerns around the world about the effects of Russia's aggression
Ukraine counteroffensive this month, and as Washington announced another $600 million in arms and ammunition for Kyiv."The plan is not
subject to adjustment," Putin said
"Our offensive operations in Donbas itself do not stop
They are going at a slow pace..
the Russian army is occupying newer and newer territories."Putin said the main goal of the campaign was "the liberation of the entire
territory of Donbas."He accused Ukrainian forces of attempts to carry out "terrorist acts" and damage Russian civilian infrastructure."We
are really quite restrained in our response to this, for the time being," Putin said
"If the situation continues to develop in this way, the response will be more serious."UN speechAs the investigation into the Izyum mass
video.Of the 193 member states, 101 voted in favor of allowing Zelensky to "present a pre-recorded statement" instead of in-person as
allow our president to participate in person," said Ukraine's ambassador to the UN, Serhiy Kyslytsya.Zelensky's address is slated for the
21, but changes are likely due to many leaders heading to London for the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II on Monday.Graves without namesThe
exhumations at the forest grave near Izyum were just a part of the horrific revelations of the impact of the war and Russia's occupation of
the area between March and early September."This is part, horrifically ..
of an ongoing story whenever we see the Russian tide recede from the parts of Ukraine that it has occupied," said Blinken.Ukraine national
police chief Ihor Klymenko said they had found multiple torture rooms in the town of Balakliya and elsewhere in Karkhiv since the Russians
were driven out.The United Nations in Geneva said it hopes to send a team to determine the circumstances of the deaths.At the Izyum site two
men in white overalls were digging the sandy soil.Soon they reached the first body, exhumed it and placed it in a white plastic body bag
As more bodies appeared, the strong smell of rotting flesh spread among the trees and rough wooden crosses.Where identification was
possible, names were attached to the crosses
nationwide."They were killed
There are witnesses from the same building
They saw what happened and buried these people here," he said."The graves without names are for those found dead in the street," he said.
