Fresh images emerging out of Bucha, a city just outside of the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, has triggered a fresh round of international condemnation on the Ukraine conflict. Ukrainian authorities accused the departing Russian forces on Monday of committing war crimes in the city, and leaving behind a scene from a horror movie.
As new agency AFP reported, Bucha, a commuter town of around 37,000 outside Kyiv, as well as the nearby town of Irpin, saw fierce fighting since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24—Bucha was occupied by the Russian army on the third day of the war, on February 26, and remained inaccessible for more than a month. Shelling stopped on Thursday and Ukrainian forces were then able to fully enter the town.
Journalists from news agencies documented what was left in the aftermath of the violence. Associated Press journalists saw the bodies of at least 21 people in various spots around Bucha, northwest of the capital. One group of nine, all in civilian clothes, were scattered around a site that residents said Russian troops used as a base. They appeared to have been killed at close range. At least two had their hands tied behind their backs, one was shot in the head, and another's legs were bound. AFP journalists on Saturday saw massive holes left by shells in apartment blocks, numerous wrecked cars and streets littered with debris or downed power lines. Ukrainian officials said the bodies of 410 civilians were found in Kyiv-area towns that were recently retaken from Russian forces.
The Bucha incident could be a turning point, with European leaders condemning the atrocities and calling for tougher sanctions against Moscow. Germany's defense minister even suggested that the European Union consider banning Russian gas imports.
Competing narratives
Oleksiy Arestovych, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, claimed some of the women had been raped before being killed and the Russians then burned the bodies.
In a video address, Zelenskyy said Russian soldiers who killed and tortured civilians were responsible for concentrated evil." It is time to do everything possible to make the war crimes of the Russian military the last manifestation of such evil on earth," he said in remarks translated by his office.
He directed some of his remarks at the mothers of Russian soldiers involved. "Even if you raised looters, how did they also become butchers?" he said. "You couldn't overlook that they are deprived of everything human. No soul. No heart. They killed deliberately and with pleasure."
Zelenskyy said his government would take steps to create a special justice mechanism to investigate every crime committed by the Russian forces in Ukraine.
Russia's defense ministry said in a statement that photos and videos of dead bodies have been stage managed by the Kyiv regime for the Western media. It noted that Bucha's mayor did not mention any abuses a day after Russian troops left. The ministry said "not a single civilian" in Bucha had faced any violent action by the Russian military. Russia asked for a meeting Monday of the UN Security Council to discuss events in the city.
-Inputs from agencies
