Mass graves identified at Yalivshchyna Forest

Investigators at CIR established that a series of mass graves in Yalivshchyna Forest were created between 26 February and 6 March. In the weeks following the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the city of Chernihiv, in Ukraine’s north, experienced heavy bombardment from Russian troops approaching from the Ukraine-Belarus border. As Russian forces withdrew from the area in April 2022, more evidence is coming to light of the civilian toll of the invasion. As the civilian casualties of Russian bombardments increased, Chernihiv residents were required to make space for their dead.

An initial estimate of the deceased buried at the Yalivshchyna sites, based on the number of headstones visible in footage from the ground posted on social media, lies between 323-381. The true figure is likely significantly higher. Ukrainian officials are reporting up to 700 killed in the city.