As Russia again draws near, a front-line city fears obliteration this time

Unmarked wooden crosses at a mass grave, left behind by Russian troops four years ago, in Izium, Ukraine, on May 19 | FINBARR O’REILLY / THE NEW YORK TIMES

Sep 15, 2026

IZIUM, UKRAINE – Unknown woman. Unknown woman. Bits of bone. Unknown woman, six more times — all hand-scrawled on signs tacked to rough wooden crosses.

The line of graves is a visceral reminder of the enduring horrors of Russia’s occupation four years ago of the eastern Ukrainian city of Izium. Now, as Moscow’s forces again move closer, battering Izium with glide bombs and drones, residents fear that another battle for the city would be far worse than what came before.

After the five-month occupation in 2022, Russian troops left behind a mass grave and ruined buildings, scars that remain fresh. All 447 bodies from the grave were exhumed and reburied on a hilltop, including the still unidentified remains.

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