In August 2022, six months after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Ukrainian forces launched an offensive that expelled Russian forces from Mykolaiv oblast, as well as large parts of Kherson and Kharkiv oblasts. The Russian withdrawal was accompanied by emerging evidence of gross human rights violations, and the discovery of mass graves in Izium. With the occupation of this territory at an end, many civilians who had fled the fighting were able to return to their homes. In many cases, they were greeted by widespread destruction and a hidden danger.
