ANKARA

The EU is “deeply shocked” at the discovery of mass graves in the Ukrainian city of Izium, which was recently recaptured by Kyiv’s troops from Russian forces.

“The European Union is deeply shocked by mass graves discovered by Ukrainian authorities with more than 440 bodies in Izyum, a city recently liberated from invading Russian military,” said a statement by the bloc’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell.

“We condemn these atrocities in the strongest possible terms,” he added.

Russian forces’ “inhumane” behavior must stop immediately, said Borrell, adding that it is “in total disregard of international humanitarian law and the Geneva conventions.”

“Russia, its political leadership, and all those involved in the ongoing violations of international law and international humanitarian law in Ukraine will be held accountable,” he said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday said that the bodies found in the mass graves in the city of Izium bear signs of torture and reiterated his call for recognizing Russia as a “state sponsor of terrorism.”