Ukraine continues its counteroffensive in the northeast of the country, while Russian forces have erected a defensive line between the Oskil River and the town Svatove, reported the British Ministry of Defence (MoD) in its daily intelligence update.
The defensive line runs along the border of the Ukrainian province of Luhansk, which makes it likely that it is important for Russian forces to keep this part of Ukraine under control, according to the MoD.
"Any substantial loss of territory in Luhansk will unambiguously undermine Russia’s strategy," the ministry wrote.
The MoD believes it is likely that Russian forces will conduct a "stubborn" defence of the area, but is is unclear that Russian forces have sufficient reserves or enough morale to hold back against another Ukrainian attack.
Czech Council Presidency calls for international war tribune
The Czech Republic, which currently holds the rotating presidency of the European Union, on Saturday called for the creation of an international war crimes tribunal after the discovery of hundreds of bodies in Izyum.
Hundreds of bodies were buried in the outskirts of Izyum, a city in northeastern Ukraine after Ukrainian retook it from Russia last week. Investigators found that the bodies had their hands tied behind their backs and showed signs of torture. Children were also uncovered.
"In the 21st century, such attacks against the civilian population are unthinkable and abhorrent. We must not overlook it. We stand for the punishment of all war criminals," said Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky.
"I call for the speedy establishment of a special international tribunal that will prosecute the crime of aggression," Lipavsky added.
https://twitter.com/JanLipavsky/status/1571039805995380737
Zelenskyy: World must react to Izyum
Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelenskyy spoke about the many graves near the recently liberated city Izyum at his nightly address Friday evening.
At least 440 bodies have been found buried. The majority of the bodies show signs of torture and violence, according to an ongoing investigation.
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There is evidence that the Russians based near the site shot at the burial ground "just for fun", according to Zelenskyy.
"The world must react to all this. Russia has repeated in Izyum what it did in Bucha." According to Zelenskyy, it is only now becoming clear what has happened in the northeastern area of Kharkiv recently.
Zelenskyy promised that UN investigators and journalists would get access to the graves in the liberated areas to investigate what happened.
He called for countries to label Russia as a "state sponsor of terrorism."
