Enlarge image
Volodymir Zelenskyj speaks to journalists in Bucha
Photo: RONALDO SCHEMIDT / AFP
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has arrived in the devastated city of Bucha.
War crimes were committed there, Selenskyj told journalists in the small town about 25 kilometers north-west of the capital Kyiv.
"The world will recognize this as genocide." Zelenskyj appeared in a dark green sweater and a camouflage protective vest and, accompanied by armed security forces, got an idea of the destruction.
Asked by a reporter whether it was still possible to negotiate peace with Russia, the Ukrainian head of state answered in the affirmative: "Ukraine must have peace," he said.
At the same time, he emphasized that early success in the negotiations was in Russia's interests: "The longer the Russian Federation delays the talks, the worse it will be for them."
Russia blames the US
Pictures of residents of the small town near Kyiv, where bodies lay on the streets after the withdrawal of Russian troops, have been causing horror around the world since the weekend.
The Ukrainian side blames Russian soldiers for the crimes.
Selenskyj had already spoken of "genocide" on Sunday.
Moscow, on the other hand, vehemently denies responsibility for the civilian deaths.
A State Department spokeswoman in Moscow claimed that the US and its Western partners "ordered" the gruesome footage to blame Russia.
»Who are the masters of provocation?
The United States and NATO, of course," spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in an interview on Russian state television, according to Reuters news agency.
According to Ukrainian media reports, well over 300 civilian bodies were recovered in Bucha.
By Sunday evening, 330 to 340 lifeless bodies had already been collected, the newspaper Ukrajinska Pravda wrote, citing a funeral service.
The search for more victims continued on Monday.
Some bodies were buried in backyards, it said.
On Sunday, the Ukrainian side had already reported the discovery of a mass grave with around 280 dead who could not have been buried with dignity during the Russian attacks.
Coroners and other specialists are currently on the scene examining the bodies and conducting investigations.
svs/dpa/Reuters
