Funeral bodies in the town of Bucha were collected for burial on Monday. (Metin Aktash / Anadolu Agency / Getty Images)
Ukrainian officials have shown international media the removal of five bodies from a basement in Bucha, a suburb of Kyiv, recently returned by Ukrainian forces.
A CNN team visited the basement and saw the bodies before they were removed. They were in an advanced stage of decomposition.
Five men have been tortured and executed by Russian soldiers, Ukrainian Interior Minister’s adviser Anton Gerashchenko told CNN on the spot. CNN cannot independently verify Gerashchenko’s allegations.
The men were found in an area held by the Russian military until a few days ago. Several fox holes, trenches and positions for armored vehicles were still visible around the site, as well as remnants of Russian rations. Several “V” letters – unofficial symbols of the Russian military campaign – were also drawn at the entrance to the territory.
The hands of the dead were tied behind their backs and most of them had several gunshot wounds, not only to the head but also to the lower limbs. There were several shell casings on the floor next to the bodies.
Volunteers removed the bodies and placed them in sacks for corpses, which were later taken away.
A volunteer told CNN that large numbers of bodies had been exhumed, saying “it’s hundreds, not dozens.” The volunteer and his team showed CNN the bags of the bodies of at least 30 people, which were found on Sunday, plus nine more on Monday, including five found in the basement.
This unit is one of several operating on the outskirts of Kyiv.
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