Russia’s current war against Ukraine is a war against civilians. The discoveries of mass graves in recently liberated parts of the country underscore how Russian troops have systemically attacked civilians through mass killings, rape, executions and torture. Civilian death and refugee numbers are extremely high, though it will be some time before their full extent is clear.
What we do know is that Russian forces left behind mass graves with over 300 civilians in the town of Bucha, outside Kyiv, in April. Now 440 bodies have been discovered in Izium in Kharkiv region, many showing signs of torture. In Mariupol, combined Russian military operations are estimated to have killed more than 20,000 civilians through systematic bombing and fighting to claim the city.
We have limited knowledge of what is unfolding in the other regions seized by the Russian army since February. Pre-war public opinion research in Ukrainian government-controlled Donbas and beyond showed little support for a Russian invasion.
