Moscow reports mass graves in region liberated from Ukraine

The Russian authorities have found 524 bodies in “mass burial sites” in the border region of Kursk after a large-scale Ukrainian incursion was repelled last year, Russia’s human rights commissioner, Tatyana Moskalkova, has said.

Ukrainian forces launched an offensive on Kursk Region in August 2024 and initially made some gains, a move that Kiev framed as a way to pressure Moscow and strengthen its hand in future talks.

The incursion soon stalled, with Russia gradually pushing back the Ukrainian forces. The region was fully liberated in April 2025.

Russian officials have reported numerous testimonies alleging war crimes, indiscriminate shelling, and violence against civilians, as well as abuses of POWs, during the Ukrainian presence.