410 Bodies Found in Ukraine's Bucha, Russia Denies 'Massacre' Charge

Satellite images of the Ukrainian town of Bucha show a 45-foot-long (14-metre-long) mass grave.

As many as 410 bodies have been recovered from the wider Kyiv region that has been reclaimed from the Russian forces in Ukraine, officials said on Sunday, 3 April. Russia, however, has denied any violence against civilians.

(Photo: AP/PTI)

As many as 410 bodies have been recovered from the wider Kyiv region that has been reclaimed from the Russian forces in Ukraine, officials said on Sunday, 3 April. Russia, however, has denied any violence against civilians.

"410 bodies of dead civilians were evacuated out of the liberated territories of the Kyiv region. Forensic experts have already examined 140," prosecutor general Iryna Venediktova was quoted as saying by news agency AFP on Sunday.

Satellite images of the Ukrainian town of Bucha show an approximately 45-foot-long (14-metre-long) trench dug into the grounds of a church where a mass grave has been identified, a private US company has said.

Ukraine has accused Russian forces of committing a “massacre” in Bucha, which is just 30 km northwest of the capital Kyiv. Bodies of civilians were found on Bucha's streets after Ukrainian troops reclaimed the town on the weekend, reported AFP.

"Bucha massacre was deliberate. Russians aim to eliminate as many Ukrainians as they can. We must stop them and kick them out. I demand new devastating G7 sanctions NOW," Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said. "Bucha massacre proves that Russian hatred towards Ukrainians is beyond anything Europe has seen since WWII," he added.

"We are still gathering and looking for bodies, but the number has already gone into the hundreds," Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said, according to his ministry.

"Dead bodies lie on the streets. They killed civilians while staying there and when they were leaving these villages and towns," Kuleba said.

Bucha mayor Anatoly Fedoruk told AFP on Saturday that 280 bodies were buried in mass graves.

AFP reported that one person's body found in Bucha had the hands tied behind the back with a white cloth, and a Ukrainian passport left open beside it, suggesting torture.

Bucha a 'Staged Performance by Kyiv': Russia Denies Violence

In Russia's first public comment on alleged massacre in Bucha, the defence ministry in Moscow described photos and videos from the ravaged Ukrainian town as "another staged performance by the Kyiv regime for the Western media."

"All the photos and videos published by the Kiev regime allegedly testifying to some "crimes" committed by Russian servicemen in Bucha, Kiev region are just another provocation. During the time that the town has been under the control of the Russian armed forces, not a single local resident has suffered from any violent action."

Russian Defence Ministry

"All this confirms conclusively that the photos and video footage from Bucha are another production by the Kiev regime for the Western media, as was the case in Mariupol with the maternity hospital, as well as in other cities," Moscow said.

'Deeply Shocked'

Meanwhile, a number of world leaders have condemned the alleged Russian violence in Bucha.

"We strongly condemn apparent atrocities by Kremlin forces in Bucha and across Ukraine. We are pursuing accountability using every tool available, documenting and sharing information to hold accountable those responsible," US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a tweet.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has said he was “deeply shocked” by images of dead civilians in the Ukrainian town of Bucha, and called for an independent investigation that “leads to effective accountability.”