Mass graves with civilians tied up and “bullet holes at the back of their heads” have been found in areas where Russian troops are pulling back, the Ukraine government says.
The spokesman for the invaded country’s president revealed the full horror uncovered as Vladimir Putin’s forces abandon attempts to conquer Kyiv, in nearby cities such as Bucha.
“These images really are heartbreaking,” said Sergey Nikiforov, the spokesman for Volodymyr Zelensky, condemning the “pure brutality” laid bare.
“We found mass graves filled with civilians. We found people with their hands and with their legs tied up and with bullet holes at the back of their heads.
“They were clearly civilians and they were executed. We found half-burned bodies as if somebody tried to hide the crimes, but actually they didn’t have enough time to do it properly.”
Mr Nikiforov added: “What struck me the most is the dead person next to a bicycle and clearly you’re not riding a bicycle into to attack, you know, Russian troops.
“So it’s just very hard to understand why is this happening, this pure brutality? There is no military necessity to do all this?”
Asked if they are “war crimes”, the spokesman replied: “I have to be very careful with my words, but it looks exactly like war crimes.”
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