Ukraine President says mass grave found in recaptured city

A mass grave bore a marker saying it contained the bodies of 17 Ukrainian soldiers

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Ukrainian authorities have found a mass burial site near a recently recaptured northeastern city previously occupied by Russian forces.

“A mass grave of people was found in Izium in the Kharkiv region. The necessary procedures have already begun there. More information - clear, verifiable information - should be available tomorrow,” Mr. Zelenskyy said in his nightly televised address.

Associated Press journalists saw the site in a forest outside Izium on Thursday. A mass grave bore a marker saying it contained the bodies of 17 Ukrainian soldiers. It was surrounded by hundreds of individual graves with only crosses to mark them. President Zelenskyy worked on Thursday to add political momentum to Ukraine's recent military gains against Russia, while missile strikes that caused flooding near his hometown demonstrated Moscow's determination to reclaim the battlefield advantage.

A week after a Ukrainian counteroffensive caused Russian troops to retreat from a northeast region, Mr. Zelenskyy met with European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen during her third wartime visit to Kyiv. Ms. Von der Leyen publicly conveyed the wholehearted support of the 27-nation bloc and wore an outfit in Ukraine's national colours.

“It's absolutely vital and necessary to support Ukraine with the military equipment they need to defend themselves. And they have proven that they are able to do this, if they are well equipped,” she said.

Air raid sirens blared twice in Kyiv during von der Leyen's meeting with Mr. Zelenskyy, a reminder that Russia has long-range weapons that can reach any location in Ukraine even though the capital has been spared attacks in recent weeks.

Ukrainian officials said Russian missiles late Wednesday struck a reservoir dam near Kryvyi Rih, Mr. Zelenskyy's birthplace and the largest city in central Ukraine, flooding over 100 homes. Russian military bloggers charged the attack was intended to flood areas downstream where Ukrainian forces made inroads as part of their counteroffensive.