Ukraine: Explosions in Kherson, Ternopil and Odessa

As fighting between Ukrainian and Russian forces continues, Ukrainian authorities are investigating possible war crimes by Russia, as they have found hundreds of corpses, some tied up and shot at close range, scattered in cities near Kyiv after the Russians withdrew. focus their attacks on other parts of Ukraine, as reported by Reuters. Ukraine says 50 of the approximately 300 bodies found after Russian troops withdrew from the city of Bucha, northwest of the capital Kyiv, were the victims of extrajudicial executions by Russian troops. Satellite images showed the existence of a mass grave. Russia, for its part, says the alleged “crimes” by its troops in Bhutan are a “provocation” and no residents have been harmed.

The General Staff of Ukraine stated that Russia is expected to mobilize about 60,000 reservists. Reuters could not independently confirm the allegation.

In the meantime, a series of explosions were heard at Hersonissosin southern Ukraine, a city occupied by the Russian army, according to Ukrainian media.

There are also news reports of explosions in the city Ternopil (west).

There has been no official announcement of explosions in the two cities. It is impossible for this information to be verified independently.

The governor of his eastern region Donetsk said on Sunday that the bombing continued unabated. Seven people were killed in Russian bombings in Kharkivthe second largest city in Ukraine, announced the regional prosecutor’s office.

Fierce fighting continues in Mariupolas Russian forces try to seize the southeastern port city, as announced by the British military intelligence service.

New explosions in Odessa

Explosions were heard last night in her city Odessaa port of strategic importance in southern Ukraine, a Reuters news agency reporter reported.

There has been no official announcement of the attack so far.

Chernihiv is 70% destroyed (mayor)

The city Chernihiv of northern Ukraine has been 70% destroyed by Russian attacks, according to statements by its mayor, Vladislav Atroshenko.

“The consequences are terrible, as in Butsa and Kharkiv and probably in Mariupol,” Mr Atroshenko told Ukrainian state television. Some of his statements were republished by the Ukrainian newspaper Pravda.

The mayor said he was very concerned that there was no heating and that the city’s economy was paralyzed, almost as much as air raids.

There are several medieval churches and monasteries in Chernihiv. The Ukrainian government has sought to add the city center to its list of World Heritage Sites. Before the war, the city had a population of 285,000.

Russian troops withdraw from Sumy

Russian troops began to withdraw from Sumiin eastern Ukraine, according to a local official.

It is too early to judge whether the area has been liberated, Dmitry Zivicki, head of the Sumy regional government, told UNIAN news agency.

According to the official, a large number of Russian troops were located in the area last week and attacks on civilians were reported. Military vehicles have been transported from Kyiv and Chernihiv to Russia, and many damaged tanks and other equipment are now visible in the area, according to Zivitsky.

This information cannot be independently verified.

Zelensky: Beasts who know no other way to act than to commit war crimes

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sunday night that more “horrors” could come to light, revealing “even more deaths and crimes” in areas of his Russian-controlled country.

“Because this is the nature of the Russian army that invaded our country. It is a beast that knows no other way to act,” he said in a recorded speech. He added that he wanted every mother of a Russian soldier to see the bodies of civilians in Butsa and elsewhere.

“What did they do? Why were they killed? What did a civilian who was just riding his bike do?”

“Why were civilians tortured to death in a peaceful Ukrainian city? Why were they strangled by women after pulling out their earrings? How could they rape women and kill them in front of their children? Make fun of their victims even after death “Why did they step on corpses with tanks? What did Boutsa do to your Russia?”

Images of civilian bodies in the small town, a few dozen kilometers from Kyiv, have sparked international outcry. The Ukrainian government has blamed Russian forces, who recently occupied Bhutan, for killing dozens of civilians. Moscow denies it.

Volodymyr Zelensky also said that former German Chancellor Angela Merkel and former French President Nicolas Sarkozy would have to visit Buca to see what led to what he described as a failed policy towards Russia. “I invite Mrs Merkel and Mr Sarkozy to visit Boutza to see where the concession policy has led for 14 years.”

In 2008, NATO member states considered accepting Ukraine, but decided not to do so because of Russian opposition.

According to the deputy mayor in Boutsa, Taras Sapravski, at least fifty of the at least 300 civilians found dead after Russian forces withdrew late last week have been the subject of extrajudicial executions by Russian forces. Others were killed by crossfire or their deaths have not been explained.

The Russian Defense Ministry countered that the photos and videos released by the Ukrainian authorities were “provocative” and that the Russian troops did not violently treat “any” resident. He said that when the Russian forces withdrew on March 30, they were distributing 452 tons of humanitarian aid to communities in the Kiev region.

Kyiv has again accused Moscow of war crimes. From Hostomel, near Butsa, Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov stressed that “this is not a special operation (…). These are inhumane people who have committed crimes against civilians.”

Nearly 3,500 civilian casualties in Ukraine

The United Nations’s human rights watchdog says 3,455 civilians have been killed since the start of the war in Ukraine, according to the BBC.

These include more than 1,400 deaths and more than 2,000 injuries.

The numbers are a conservative estimate, and the UN believes the actual numbers are likely to be much higher.

The heaviest casualties continue to be reported from the Donetsk and Luhansk regions to the east, where Russia is battling Ukraine over its recently self-proclaimed independent democracies.