War crimes 'Missile cemetery' catalogues evidence

During the first few months of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the cruise missiles fired by Moscow at its neighbour remained embedded for days at a time in the buildings and streets of the northeastern province of Kharkiv.

- Lorenzo Tondo

Then, one by one, officials working for Ukrainian prosecutors recovered, registered and catalogued them, before moving them to a fenced-off area in an industrial district of Kharkiv city that has become known as the "missile cemetery". More than 1,000 explosives and the debris of rockets are lined up in rows.

Ukraine's army calculates that Russia has fired more than 5,000 cruise missiles, in addition to countless artillery rockets, since the war began. A large number have fallen on Kharkiv.

One day the devices could be part of a museum to remember the atrocities of the war. In the meantime, though, it is hoped the debris can provide information to help bring prosecutions against Russian authorities and soldiers.

"This place was created for collecting evidence of war crimes," said Dmytro Chubenko, the spokesperson for the Kharkiv region's prosecutor office.

"These devices were all found in Kharkiv city. But it is approximately only half of what they shot at us. These are pieces of evidence that we hope will be used in the international criminal court."