Following Russia’s withdrawal from Kyiv Oblast, the Ukrainians secured Hostomel, Bucha, and Irpin in the process. As of writing, the Ukrainian Armed Forces have secured their country all the way to the Belarussian-Ukrainian border and secured the Chernihiv region.

However, when Ukrainian troops recaptured Bucha, a city about 20 miles northwest of Kyiv, they were shocked as dead civilians lined the city. This puts Russia at the center of global outrage. They are accused of killing civilians in mass executions and other war crimes.

Dead Ukrainians which were allegedly burned. It is unknown whether they were lit up while they were alive or after they had been killed (Kyiv Post). Source: https://twitter.com/KyivPost/status/1511000132262809607
Dead Ukrainians were allegedly burned. It is unknown whether they were lit up while they were alive or after they had been killed (Kyiv Post/Twitter)

According to a report by the Wall Street Journal, authorities found a metal garage that was burnt, and in it was half of a woman’s body. The woman’s face was nowhere to be found, but her head was still intact, with the top of her skull detached. Her torso was also found burnt. In total, about 280 bodies were found so far by local authorities in a series of mass graves. Another report by Sky News quoted Bucha’s Mayor Anatoliy Fedoruk stating that 300 residents were killed by the Russian forces. Reuters reported that 421 civilian casualties were found in the areas near Kyiv. However, this number could be far higher. Sky News and other news outlets such as Reuters verified the reports of mass graves but could not agree on an exact number of dead individuals.

Furthermore, reports say that the Russians prevented a number of corpses from being laid to rest. As a result, the bodies decomposed, with Ukrainian soldiers seeing that dogs had been feeding on a number of dismembered corpses. This confirms an earlier story by SOFREP where it was also reported that dogs were eating Russian corpses and that the Russians had eaten the dogs unknowingly.