Wearing plastic gloves and a face mask, Sergius Matuik has seen a horror that cannot be described in the last month.
His job is to retrieve and bury bodies in the Ukrainian city of Bucha, where evidence of possible war crimes by Russian forces has emerged.
“They’re hooks,” he said, standing by a large white van waiting to load the bodies of five other men in the back.
The bloodied bodies – four of them with their hands tied behind their backs, all forcibly killed – were found in the basement of a children’s holiday camp until Russian forces turned it into a temporary base.
The last war in Ukraine – “Indescribable horrors” in the liberated cities, while satellite images show mass graves
Image: Mass grave in Bucha, about 16 miles northwest of Kyiv
“Russian soldiers and their president are tyrants,” Mr Matwick said.
“Whoever agreed and waged this war is inhuman.”
The bodies of about 300 civilians have been found in Bucha since Russian troops took control of the city, about 16 miles northwest of Kyiv, in the early days of the invasion, Mr Matuik said. He predicts that more will be found.
Most of the victims are men, but he says about 30% are women and children.
“There were a lot of bodies during the worst shelling, and we buried them in mass graves,” Mr Matuik said.
It was scary to have to work in a war zone, but the outspoken man, who can still smile, said, “We’re used to collecting bodies under fire.”
Image: The bodies of about 300 civilians were found in Bucha after the withdrawal of Russian troops
Russian troops finally withdrew from Bucha about four days ago as part of a wider withdrawal from the entire Kyiv region.
But when Ukrainian forces returned to the city, they found bodies left in the streets and basements.
Image: Serhij Matuyk’s job is to retrieve and bury bodies in the Ukrainian city of Bucha
Read more: Mass graves, torture and broken bodies – the horrors of Bucha are exposed
Asked if any of the bodies had found evidence of torture, Mr Matuik replied: “Yes, of course. For example, on Sunday, 20 out of 30 people were handcuffed.
“They died on their knees, shot in the back of the head. We also collected corpses on the streets of people killed, riding bicycles. Everyone who was outside, driving or walking was systematically killed. This is awful.
“I’m used to it now, but at first I found it so shocking. I just want to thank my boys for doing it. It’s hard work.”
Image: The body bags are stacked on the ground
In the basement of the holiday camp, three of the corpses were shot in the head, Ukrainian authorities said.
A fourth man was killed by a blow to the head with the butt of a rifle, and a fifth victim was shot several times in the chest.
Russia has denied responsibility for killing civilians in Bucha, accusing the Ukrainian government of creating a “provocation”.
In another part of the city, however, a resident told Sky News how she personally saw a Russian soldier shoot one of her neighbors.
Irina, 47, said the soldier had challenged the man to leave his apartment building.
“They asked for his documents. He said: “I do not have the documents with me. I live on the ground floor and now I will take them, “she recalls.
Image: Sergei Matuik says some of the bodies show evidence of torture
Irina said she and her husband watched from their apartment in the same block as he turned to go back and get his documents.
But the 50-year-old man had barely backed away when the soldier shot him in the back of the head, she said.
“He didn’t even see him, he didn’t even have time to say anything,” Irina said. “My husband and I heard popping. And he fell.”
They did not dare to go outside to find the body, so it lay on the ground for hours.
In the end, Irina said that her husband and some other neighbors had dug a grave in the mud outside the back of the apartment building.
The bodies of two other residents are also buried there.
They were also killed indiscriminately by Russian soldiers, according to Irina.
“It’s just awful,” she said, her voice breaking and tears welling up in her eyes.
“It’s impossible for this to happen in the 21st century. It’s impossible … for something like this to happen. You wouldn’t want that on anyone. What you did … so many people were killed … just for nothing. “
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