A spokesman for the president of the invading country has revealed the full horror that has been unleashed as Vladimir Putin’s forces abandon their efforts to conquer Kyiv, in nearby cities such as Butsa. “These images are really heartbreaking,” said Sergei Nikiforov, a spokesman for Volodymyr Zelensky, condemning the “pure barbarism” that was uncovered. “We found mass graves full of citizens. We found people with their arms and legs tied and with bullet holes in the back of their heads. “They were clearly civilians and were executed. “We found half-burnt corpses as if someone were trying to hide the crimes, but in reality they did not have enough time to do it properly.” Mr. Nikiforov added: “What struck me most was the dead man next to a bicycle and obviously you do not ride a bicycle to attack, you know, the Russian troops. “So it’s very difficult to understand why this is happening, this pure barbarism? “There is no military need to do all this.” Asked if these were “war crimes”, the spokesman replied: “I have to be very careful with my words, but they look exactly like war crimes.” The comments came as Ukrainian troops entering Bhutan, a town 15 miles northwest of the capital, found at least 20 dead men lying in the street, the BBC reported. The mayor said they had buried 280 people in mass graves – while some of the few survivors enjoyed “their first bread in 38 days”. Human Rights Watch said it had documented several cases of “violations of the law of war” against civilians in the occupied territories of Chernihiv, Kharkiv and Kiev. “The cases we have documented are tantamount to untold, deliberate cruelty and violence against Ukrainian civilians,” said Hugh Williamson, its director for Europe and Central Asia. Melinda Simmons, the UK ambassador to Ukraine, has condemned Russia for using the rape as a “weapon of war”, following other reports of atrocities. It was clearly part of Russia’s “arsenal”, he said, writing on Twitter: “Women were raped in front of their children, girls in front of their families, as a deliberate act of submission. “Rape is a war crime.” Foreign Minister Liz Truss said the government would not “calm down” until those responsible for the “atrocities” in Ukraine were brought to justice. “The United Kingdom will fully support any investigations by the International Criminal Court into its role as the primary body mandated to investigate and prosecute war crimes,” he said. “We will not rest until those responsible for the atrocities, including military commanders and members of the Putin regime, are brought to justice.”
