Russian war in Ukraine: breaking news and invasion news

Here’s what we know about Bucha, the Kyiv suburb devastated by Russian occupation A man walks with bags of food delivered by the Ukrainian army in Bucha, northwestern Kyiv, on Saturday, April 2. Shocking images of the massacre in the city of Bucha, near the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, show bodies of civilians lying in the street after five weeks of almost permanent shooting. The photos were captured by Agence France-Presse on Saturday, the same day Ukraine declared the city liberated from Russian troops. Here’s what we know so far: Terrifying footage: Footage shows the growing number of civilian victims of Russia’s brutal assault: At least 20 civilians found scattered across a street, including a man with his hands tied behind his back with a piece of fabric and another tangled in a bicycle. Executions of civilians: “The bodies of executed people still line Yabluska street in Bucha. Their hands are tied behind their backs with white ‘civilian’ rags, they were shot in the back of the head. So you can imagine what kind of impunity perpetrated here,” Bucha mayor Anatoliy Fedoruk told Reuters on Saturday. Mass grave: A mass grave has been discovered in Bucha, where bodies were first buried in the early days of the war, residents say. A CNN crew saw at least a dozen bodies in body bags piled inside the grave. Some were already partially covered. Residents told CNN that around 150 people are buried there. Bucha’s mayor said there could be up to 300 victims buried at the site. Zelensky comments: Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky called for an end to “war crimes” in a video address on Sunday and for Russian leaders to be held accountable for the actions of the military. “This is genocide,” he said. “I want all the leaders of the Russian Federation to see how their orders are being carried out.” Russia’s response: The Russian Defense Ministry claimed that the extensive record of images were “fake” and said that “not a single local resident suffered violent actions” during the Russian occupation of Bucha. The Russian government has consistently responded to reports of civilian casualties inflicted by Russian forces with blanket denials. International outrage: Western leaders, including US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, have called for war crimes investigations and increased sanctions against Russia. EU Council President Charles Michel promised more sanctions against Russia, while United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said an independent investigation into the civilians killed in Bucha was “essential”.