The withdrawal of Russian troops from the region around the Ukrainian capital Kiev appears to have come to an extremely tragic end. In the suburb of Bucha, Ukrainian soldiers report numerous dead civilians. They were killed by Russian soldiers on the street, shocked local residents. Because the cemeteries did not have enough capacity for so many dead, mass graves were also dug.
The disturbing images point to a horrific war crime. Ukrainian soldiers and foreign journalists report from the Kiev suburb of Bucha, which has been evacuated by Russian troops in recent days, with photos and videos showing dozens of civilian-clad corpses on the city’s streets.
“They were no threat”
As Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podoliak explained via Twitter on Saturday evening, they were shot by Russian soldiers: “They were not in the army, they had no weapons, they posed no threat,” he said in shock: “How many such cases happen even in the occupied territories?”
Podoljak also shared a photo showing the men’s hands sometimes tied behind their backs. While such images cannot be independently verified, numerous other reports from Ukrainian media point to similar atrocities.
There is not enough capacity in cemeteries
But the massacre didn’t just take place on the streets – as the mayor of Bucha, Anatoly Fedoruk, explained, 280 people had already been buried in mass graves – the capacity of the three city cemeteries was simply no longer sufficient.
Killed without provocation
Local residents also told the AP news agency that the dead were civilians who had died without provocation due to the withdrawal of Russian soldiers. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned residents that Russian troops had created a “catastrophic situation” for the civilian population.
Mines have been planted near houses, in abandoned equipment and even on corpses, the president said. Images of a bridge in Bucha also showed anti-tank mines scattered there.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
