This development follows the liberation of eastern regions of Ukraine during the ongoing counter-offensive, previously held by Russian or Russian-backed forces.
A Ukrainian policeman was quoted as saying that more than 400 bodies are believed to have been found in one location.
In Geneva on Friday, the UN human rights office, OHCHRsaid that UN investigators already in Ukraine would be looking to see if those buried were soldiers or civilians, and whether they died in war or of natural causes.
Echo of Mariupol
“As you may recall, that was pretty much what happened during the fighting (during) the siege of Mariupol,” said OHCHR spokesman Liz Throssell.
“There have been reports of these mass graves; it’s really a case to look at whether people were killed or died of natural causes because they were not treatedand they were actually buried in mass graves. “
Had multiple allegations of atrocities committed against civilians since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24.
In May, the UN Human Rights Watch in Ukraine took statements from Ukrainians who said snipers were located on rooftops.will just shoot fairly randomly at civilians“To prevent them from leaving their homes.
And in Bucha and other suburban towns north of Kyiv that were overrun by Russian troops, the same investigators recorded illegally killing more than 300 men, women and children.
At a press conference in Geneva in May, the head of the monitoring mission, Matilda Bogner, told UN News that many Ukrainians were still searching for missing relatives and friends – mostly young men. Some may have been taken to Belarus and then Russia, Ms. Bogner said.
