Despite retreating from Kyiv in a perfunctory display of de-escalating tensions, Russian forces are leaving landmines in their wake, and civilians have been found executed—some with their hands tied behind their backs, Ukrainian officials said Saturday.
“Bucha, Kyiv region. The bodies of people with tied hands, who were shot dead by Russian soldiers lie in the streets. These people were not in the military. They had no weapons. They posed no threat. How many more such cases are happening right now in the occupied territories?” presidential aide Mikhail Podolyak tweeted, along with a graphic image of bodies in the street.
At least 280 people were buried after Russian forces were pushed out, the town’s mayor, Anatoly Fedoruk, told the AFP news agency Saturday. “All these people were shot, killed, in the back of the head,” he said, adding that one victim was as young as 14.
ADVERTISEMENT
The devastating discovery comes as Ukrainian forces regained full control of the Kyiv region, the deputy defense minister said Saturday. Russian forces still ramped up their attacks in the southern and eastern areas of the country, including in the eastern city of Lysychansk and the Russian-controlled city of Enerhodar, as Russia seeks to claim the city of Mariupol.
“It’s still not possible to return to normal life, as it used to be, even at the territories that we are taking back after the fighting,” Zelensky said in a video message, according to the Associated Press. “We need [to] wait until our land is de-mined, wait till we are able to assure you that there won’t be new shelling.”
Ukrainian forces have reclaimed areas just outside of Kyiv as Russian units have either been defeated or cast out, Zelensky said, though he cautioned residents to prepare for missile strikes or rocket launches in the days to come.
Zelensky also warned that the battle in eastern Ukraine will continue to intensify as Russian troops regroup there. Leaders in the Luhansk and Donetsk regions said Saturday that Russia had bombarded their territories overnight with attacks, according to The New York Times. Russia’s offensive left 31 buildings destroyed in the cities of Lysychansk and Toshkivka along with an untold number of civilian deaths in Mariupol and Volnovakha.
The civilians who have managed to survive the destruction of Mariupol have also been unable to leave. The International Committee of the Red Cross said it could not evacuate civilians out of the city Friday due to safety concerns, which city officials attributed to a Russian blockade. It said it would try again Saturday.
“Our presence will put a humanitarian marker on this planned movement of people, giving the convoy additional protection and reminding all sides of the civilian, humanitarian nature of the operation,” the group said in a statement, according to the Associated Press.
Russia has also sought to quell unrest in areas it does fully control. Video posted on Telegram by the energy company Energoatom showed Russian troops attacking anti-war protesters in the southern city of Energodar, which houses Europe’s largest nuclear plant.
“At a peaceful rally in Energodar today, the occupiers started shooting at people,” Energoatom wrote on Saturday. “People came there with their families, there were also children.”
The aggressive move by Russian troops came after an intercepted call released by the Ukrainian Security Service showed one soldier railing against their presence in the first place. According to the call, the soldier made a blunt assessment to his wife: “It’s unclear why we are even here.”
