15th April, 2022
More than 900 civilian bodies have been discovered in the region surrounding the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, following the withdrawal of Russian forces.
Most of the bodies had been shot, police said Friday, an indication that many people were “simply executed.”
The jarring numbers emerged shortly after Russia’s Defense Ministry promised to step up missile attacks on Kyiv in response to Ukraine’s alleged aggression on Russian territory.
That ominous warning followed the stunning loss of Moscow’s flagship in the Black Sea, which a senior U.S. defense official said Friday was indeed hit by at least one Ukrainian missile.
Around Kyiv, Andriy Nebytov, the head of Kyiv’s regional police force, said bodies were abandoned in the streets or given temporary burials.
He cited police data indicating that 95% died from gunshot wounds.
“Consequently, we understand that under the (Russian) occupation, people were simply executed in the streets,” Nebytov said.
More bodies are being found every day, under rubble and in mass graves, he added.
The largest number of victims were found in Bucha, where there were more than 350, he said.