UK says working to collect 'proof of Russian war crimes' in Bucha as Ukraine retakes Kyiv

In a massive development, Bucha, Irpin, Gostomel and the 'whole of Kyiv region' were recaptured by Ukrainian troops, as Russians shifted their focus to the southeastern part of the war-torn country. On Saturday, Deputy Defence Minister of Ukraine Ganna Maliar said that Zelenskyy's army has gained control over “the whole Kyiv region”. Now, the UK has announced that it will collect evidence for Russian war crimes in Ukraine. 

It is pertinent to note that Russians had occupied these regions following a massive military blitz, in a bid to isolate the Ukrainian capital. However, last week, the Kremlin agreed to retreat from the region, in the aftermath of negotiations with Kyiv officials in Istanbul.

“Irpin, Bucha, Gostomel, and the whole Kyiv region were liberated from the invader,” Maliar says on Facebook, referring to towns that have were liberated after weeks of Russian occupation.

Meanwhile, in a separate update, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense revealed that Russians had “executed” innocent civilians. Defense officials, who patrolled the recaptured area, shared videos of corpses lying on the streets, some of whose hands were tied at the back. It later confirmed the number of dead, as of now, to 20. 

"The Ukrainian city of Bucha was in the hands of animals for several weeks. *Local civilians were being executed arbitrarily*, some with hands tied behind their backs, their bodies scattered in the streets of the city," the Defence Ministry said on Saturday.

UK working to collect evidence of Russian war crimes

Meanwhile, British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said she was “appalled” by the atrocities committed by Russian occupiers in Bucha and other Ukrainian cities. In a statement, she said that the British administration was working with other organizations to collect evidence for Russian war crimes in Ukraine. "Appalled by atrocities in Bucha and other towns in Ukraine. Reports of Russian forces targeting innocent civilians are abhorrent. The UK is working with others to collect evidence and support the International Criminal Court’s war crimes investigation. Those responsible will be held to account," she said in a statement.

It has been 39 days since Russian President Vladimir Putin launched what he said was a “special military operation to denazify” Ukraine. The war that followed, has now left thousands dead, cities pulverized and turned the ex-soviet state into a macabre trap. The gruesome conflict has not only affected Ukraine, which was once the world’s third-largest nuclear power, but also neighboring countries. More recently, its repercussions were felt in the Bosphorus strait, which links Red to the Mediterranean Sea.

(Image: AP/ Ukraine Defence Ministry)