CNN could not independently confirm the details of the men’s deaths. Russia answers. The Russian Defense Ministry claimed that the extensive video of corpses in Bukha was “fake”, saying that “not a single local resident suffered from violence” during the Russian occupation of Bukha. “In the settlements of the Kiev region, Russian military personnel delivered and delivered 452 tons of humanitarian aid to civilians,” she said in a statement. A separate statement claimed the video was rigged. The Russian government has consistently responded to allegations of civilian casualties caused by Russian forces with general denials. Human Rights Watch documents on alleged crimes. Rape, brief executions and unlawful violence are some of the war crimes allegedly committed by Russian forces against civilians in the occupied territories of Chernihiv, Kharkiv and Kiev regions of Ukraine, according to Human Rights Watch, an independent human rights group. HRW said in a statement Sunday that it had substantiated allegations of war crimes, which “include a case of repeated rape; two cases of summary execution, one by six men, the other by a man; and other cases of unlawful violence and threats against civilians.” between 27 February and 14 March 2022 “. CNN has not independently verified the details of these reports and has asked the Russian Ministry of Defense for comments on the allegations. Urgent appeal to the Grammys. In a videotaped message at the Grammy Awards later Sunday, Zelensky made an urgent call for support with a speech that began: “War. What’s the opposite of music? The silence of devastated cities and people killed.” “Our musicians wear armor instead of tuxedos,” he once said. “They sing to the wounded. To the hospitals.” Zelensky begged those who listened to “Tell the truth about the war. On your social networks. On TV. Support us in any way you can. Anyone. But no silence.”
The CNN team observes a mass grave site. A mass grave has been discovered in the city of Bucha, according to CNN. CNN saw at least a dozen corpses in corpse bags stacked inside the grave. Some were already partially covered. The bodies were buried for the first time in the tomb, in the area of ​​the church of Agios Andreas and Pervozvanno of Agios Pantos, in the first days of the war, residents told CNN. About 150 people, mostly civilians killed in fighting around the city, are buried there, residents said. The mayor of Bucha said in public statements on Saturday that there could be up to 300 victims buried on the spot. CNN could not independently verify these numbers or the identities and nationalities of those buried in the grave. “A punch in the gut.” US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said on Sunday that the State Department would help document any atrocities committed by the Russian military against Ukrainian civilians. “You can only see these images as a punch in the gut,” Blinken told CNN’s Dana Bash on Sunday, responding to reports from Bucha. Last month, the State Department formally charged Russian forces with war crimes in Ukraine. Asked on Sunday if Russian troops were committing genocide, Blinken did not go as far as Zelensky. “We will look hard and document everything we see, bring it all together, make sure that the relevant institutions and bodies examining it, including the State Department, have everything they need to assess exactly what happened in Ukraine, who is responsible. and what does it correspond to “, he said. Is new research coming? The top UN official said an “independent inquiry” into the killings of civilians in Buha was “essential” to ensure “effective accountability”. “I am deeply shocked by the images of civilians killed in Ukraine,” UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a statement on Sunday. More sanctions could be on the way. State Department spokesman Ned Price, meanwhile, hinted that additional US action against Russia would take place “very soon” when asked about Zelensky’s call for greater G7 sanctions in response to the latest alleged beastliness. in Bouha. “As for our sanctions, we have always said that we will continue to put pressure on President Putin, in the Kremlin, on everyone around him, including the oligarchs and the henchmen who are waging this war of choice against Ukraine, until the Kremlin , until the violence subsides, and until such atrocities end. “So I suspect you will see additional pressure very soon,” Price told MSNBC on Sunday. ‘Not enough.’ In a video speech later Sunday calling for an end to Russia’s “war crimes”, Zelensky called for tougher sanctions against Russia. “I am convinced that this is not enough,” he said. “More conclusions are needed. Not only for Russia, but also for the political behavior that actually allowed this evil to come to our land,” he added. Expect the attacks to continue. This is not a “real withdrawal of Russian forces,” said NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, who warned that attacks on Ukraine would continue. “What we are seeing is not a real withdrawal. But we see that Russia is repositioning its troops and taking some of them back to re-equip them, to reinforce them, to supply them. We must not be somehow too optimistic because the attacks they will continue, “Stoltenberg told CNN on Sunday. This story has been updated with additional details.