Ukraine says 40 victims of mass grave in Bucha are civilians

By Bahtiyar Abdulkerimov

KYIV, Ukraine (AA) - Forty victims found in a Ukrainian mass grave in the Kyiv suburb of Bucha were civilians who "did not resist," according to the nation’s capital police chief.

Police are investigating mass graves in Bucha, according to Andriy Nebytov, who said Russian forces "regularly fired on civilians."

Some civilians were killed during shelling of the city by Russian artillery. Among those killed were civilian men and women between the ages of 40 and 60, he said.

Nebytov said some of the bodies found in Bucha will be sent for autopsies to determine the causes of the deaths.

He noted that bullet wounds to the head and body were found on victims -- an indication they were killed by an automatic weapon or a sniper’s rifle.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Moscow are facing vehement criticism from the international community after Ukraine accused Russian forces of committing "genocide" and "war crimes" in Bucha.

Russia has rejected the allegations as a "fake news attack," arguing that the images that have drawn global outrage were staged after Russian forces withdrew from the city.

At least 1,611 civilians have been killed since Russia started a war against Ukraine on Feb. 24, and 2,227 injured, according to UN estimates, with the true figure feared to be far higher.

More than 4.3 million Ukrainians have fled to other countries, with millions more internally displaced, according to the UN refugee agency.