A mass grave containing dozens of bodies reportedly belonging to Ukrainian civilians was found on Saturday in the village of Buzova, west of Kyiv.
Just one week after bodies were found strew on the street of Bucha, a grave with dozens of Ukrainian civilians has been found half an hour away in the liberated Buzova, a village near the capital Kyiv, that until recently was occupied by Russian forces.
The mass grave was found near a gas station while other bodies were found in the carcasses of cars on the main road between Kyiv and Zhytomyr, west of the capital, the head of the Dmytrivka community that includes Buzova, Taras Didych, told Ukrainian television.
The exact number of casualties is not yet confirmed. It is the latest reported evidence of mass murder to be discovered as Russian forces retreat from their offensive on the capital and focus their assault on the east.
The mounting civilian deaths in Russia, most notably the atrocities committed by Russian soldiers in Bucha and the recent attack on the Kramatorsk train station in eastern Ukraine which claimed at least 50 lives, of which five children, have triggered waves of international condemnation and new sanctions.
Russia has admitted it is facing a significant loss of troops and has now withdrawn from northern Ukraine and Kyiv as it faces increasing resistance from Ukraine in an attempt to take the capital, according to British military reports.
Latest Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine - 10 April 2022
Find out more about the UK government's response: https://t.co/8yjYrVmzHe 🇺🇦 #StandWithUkraine 🇺🇦 pic.twitter.com/Xd1tmsCDme — Ministry of Defence 🇬🇧 (@DefenceHQ) April 10, 2022
Britain’s defence ministry said on Sunday that the Russian armed forces are ing to bolster troops with personnel that was previously discharged and is also recruiting fighters from Moldova.
New civilian evacuation routes
On Sunday, Russia and Ukraine agreed on Sunday on nine new evacuation routes for civilians fleeing the fighting in eastern Ukraine, the country's Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said.
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"All the routes for the humanitarian corridors in the Luhansk region will work as long as there is a ceasefire by the occupying Russian troops," Vereshchuk said in a statement on her Telegram channel.
The region’s governor, Sergei Gaidai announced earlier on Telegram that nine trains would be made available on Sunday for people wishing to leave the area.
According to Kyiv, 4,532 civilians managed to leave through humanitarian corridors on Saturday, including people from the besieged southern town of Mariupol, Belga News Agency reported.
Visit from Boris Johnson
Days after Ukraine was visited by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and EU Foreign Affairs chief Josep Borrell, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson also travelled from Poland to visit the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv.
The Ukrainians have the courage of a lion.
President @ZelenskyyUa has given the roar of that lion. The UK stands unwaveringly with the people of Ukraine. Slava Ukraini 🇬🇧 🇺🇦 pic.twitter.com/u6vGYqmK4V — Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) April 9, 2022
Johnson’s surprise trip to Ukraine on Saturday was the first by a leader of the Group of 7 since the start of the Russian invasion. It included an in-person visit to Ukrainian Prime Minister Volodymyr Zelensky and a tour of the empty streets of the capital.
“Today I met my friend President Zelensky in Kyiv as a show of our unwavering support for the people of Ukraine,” the UK Prime Minister tweeted after the visit.
“We’re setting out a new package of financial and military aid, which is a testament of our commitment to his country’s struggle against Russia’s barbaric campaign.”
