A rope tied around his feet and a charred hole in his forehead, a dead man lies in scrub by a railroad track on the outskirts of the Ukrainian town of Bucha.
The haunting figure, his flesh a sallow yellow as if a waxwork, lies surrounded by brown fallen leaves. Just meters away, the corpse of another victim lies in the undergrowth.
Local officials say more than 300 people were killed by Russian forces in Bucha alone, and around 50 of them were executed. Witnesses in the town - which has been badly shelled; its facades gouged and blackened - have recounted details of what they said were several other extra-judicial killings at the hands of Russians. Reuters has been unable to verify their accounts independently.
On Sunday, Russia's defence ministry issued a statement saying that all photographs and videos published by the Ukrainian authorities alleging "crimes" by Russian troops in Bucha were a "provocation."In another incident nearby, through a small wood, builder Eduard Karpenko recounted how he saw one of his neighbours marched off to be shot by a Russian soldier.
The soldier marched the man out of sight, to the end of a wooden fence flanking the wood, and then four shots rang out, Karpenko said. Karpenko said he and the two men had waited as ordered by the Russian soldiers until nightfall before venturing out to recover the body.
Ireland Latest News, Ireland Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Local Ukrainian families react to Russian atrocities in Bucha'They suffered through a lot. There is a lot of dead bodies. Some of the bodies have been buried in the backyard,' said Yevgeniy Pakkel while translating his family's heartache.
Read more »
After Bucha, Ukrainian ex-Wildcat Kyryl Natyazhko asks 'Are you still moaning about gas prices?!'The former UA center has been tweeting and retweeting about the war in his home country.
Read more »
Pope Francis kisses a Ukrainian flag and denounces the 'massacre in Bucha'Pope Francis holds up Ukrainian flag sent from Bucha and kisses it as he met with refugee children from Ukraine during a General Audience session on Wednesday. 'Let's not forget the Ukrainian people.''
Read more »
Pope Francis kisses battered Ukrainian flag from 'martyred' Bucha, denounces Russian 'massacre'Pope Francis on Wednesday kissed a battered Ukrainian flag that was brought to him from Bucha as he denounced the 'massacre' there and called for an end to the war.
Read more »
In Bucha, Ukraine, Burned, Piled Bodies Among Latest HorrorsSix charred bodies piled together were being investigated on Tuesday in Bucha, the town where graphic evidence of killings and torture has emerged following the withdrawal of Russian forces
Read more »