Most of the dead showed signs of violent death and 30 presented traces of torture and summary execution, including ropes around their necks, bound hands, broken limbs and genital amputation;[8] others might have died from shelling and a lack of access to healthcare.

The Russian military wanted to capture Izium so its forces in the Kharkiv Oblast could link up with their troops in the Donbas region.

[14][15] On 15 September 2022, after Russian forces were driven out of the city in the Kharkiv counteroffensive, a large number of mostly unmarked graves was found in the woods close to Izium.

[16] By 16 September, investigators had discovered more than 445 graves of both civilians and soldiers, with some of the identification and location of the sites helped by Tamara Volodymyrivna (Ukrainian: Тамара Володимирівна), the head of the local funeral home.

[21] Oleh Synyehubov, governor of Kharkiv region said:"Among the bodies that were exhumed today, 99 per cent showed signs of violent death.

Most of the dead showed signs of violent death and 30 presented traces of torture and summary execution, including ropes around their necks, bound hands, broken limbs and genital amputation.

[29] The Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs in an official statement condemned the massacre, and called for respect for international humanitarian law and the investigation of the crimes committed.

"[32] Cardinal Konrad Krajewski traveled from Zaporizhzhia where he had been delivering humanitarian aid, to join Bishop Pavlo Honcharuk of the Kharkiv-Zaporizhzhia Diocese to offer prayers for the deceased and the workers.