Lesia Vasilenko, a politician from the Holos party, shared a graphic image on Twitter of what she claimed was “the tortured body of a raped and murdered woman.” The photo appeared to show the torso of a woman with a swastika burned and scratched on it. Mrs Vasylenko wrote: “I am speechless. “My mind is paralyzed by anger, fear and hatred.” The pro-Russian media RT had previously claimed that the woman’s body was found by “pro-Russian forces in a Ukrainian military unit”. Russia’s Investigative Committee has claimed that Ukrainian nationalists from the Azov Battalion tortured a woman in the city of Mariupol. They claimed that he had been found in the basement of one of the schools in the city. The Independent could not verify any of the allegations. Ukrainian Ambassador to the United Kingdom Vadym Prystaiko and Ukrainian MP Lesia Vasylenko leave Downing Street Number 10 (REUTERS) Plenty of evidence in recent days documents the brutal treatment of civilians by Russian forces in the cities and towns around the Ukrainian capital Kyiv. Ukrainian officials say they are investigating allegations of sexual violence against women, including allegations that soldiers killed a woman’s husband before being repeatedly raped by two Russians. Residents sit next to a makeshift stove next to their apartment building in Bucha, Ukraine. The Ukrainian government accused the Russian forces of committing “deliberate slaughter” as they occupied and eventually retreated from Bhutan. (Getty Images) Ukraine’s Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova said the alleged crime took place in Brovary, one of the eastern suburbs of the capital. He added that the victim’s child was present when the incident occurred. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has accused Russia of trying to “distort the facts” about alleged atrocities in formerly occupied cities such as Bucha, and said the invaders had “already launched a false campaign to raise concerns about their guilt”. the commission of “war crimes”. Dozens of bodies have been found in the days since Ukrainian forces regained control of Butsa (Getty Images) The Independent has a proud campaign history for the rights of the most vulnerable and we first launched our “Welcome Refugees” campaign during the war in Syria in 2015. Now, as we renew our campaign and start this report on In the wake of the unfolding Ukrainian crisis, we call on the government to move faster and faster to secure aid. To learn more about our Refugee Campaign, click here. To sign the application click here. If you would like to donate, click here for our GoFundMe page.
