Mass Grave Found in Eastern Ukraine

The Organization for Security and Co-operation (OSCE) in Europe has reported mass graves found near Donetsk in eastern Ukraine, according to its latest report on Thursday.

The report states that, “The ‘military police’ of ‘Donetsk People’s Republic’ (‘DPR’) told the Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) that three unmarked graves allegedly containing multiple bodies had been found.”

“The SMM proceeded to the scene and saw in the coal mine two areas located fifty metres apart, each containing two human bodies. All four corpses were in the process of decomposition. The SMM also saw eight 9mm Makarov pistol cartridges approximately five meters away from the bodies,” the OSCE report writes. 

It goes on to say that a grave was found with a plaque, written in Russia with the names and initials of five individuals, saying that they had died on the 27th of August.

On the top of the plaque, it was inscribed, “Died for Putin's lies.”

The Russian news agency Itar-Tass quoted Vladimir Markin, head of media liaisons for the Russian Federation Investigative Committee, as saying that Russia would open a probe into the graves.

"Information about the killing of citizens whose bodies were found in a mass grave near Donetsk will be checked by the Investigative Committee's central directorate as part of a criminal case into the use of prohibited means of warfare against peaceful civilians in southeastern Ukraine," he said on Wednesday.

Russia has placed the blame on Kiev, with the often outspoken Alexei Pushkov, the head of the State Duma's International Affairs Committee, saying that "Russia must and will raise the matter with international organizations — PACE and OSCE — about how those in power in Kiev right now hold direct responsibility for these war crimes and crimes against humanity," according to Itar-Tass.

Russia Today also reports that the pro-Russian separatists have said that the area in which the graves were found was being held by the Ukrainian forces, but has "just been liberated" by the separatists. Seperatists also said to RT that the bodies show signs of being executed, although this has not been confirmed by the OSCE.

The tenuous ceasefire is holding, with Tuesday night being the first time no civilians killed or residential buildings shelled.