5:20 p.m. ET, April 14, 2022
In Bucha, a CNN reporter recounts being among the first to reach a mass grave dug during Russian occupation
From CNN's Frederik Pleitgen
International Criminal Court (ICC) Prosecutor Karim Khan stands next to a grave where remains of three bodies were found, in the town of Bucha, Ukraine on April 13.
(Volodymyr Petrov/Reuters)
I have seen a lot of awful things in my career, but some of the things we were confronted with on the outskirts of Kyiv after Russian troops were beaten back by Ukrainian forces have been among the most harrowing.
In the suburb of Bucha we were among the first to reach a
mass grave that residents dug while the place was under Russian occupation, because so many residents had been killed and longer burial ceremonies would have been too dangerous amid the shooting and shelling.
We saw half-buried bodies, legs and arms sticking out of the earth. We met
one man who was sure his little brother was buried here; he broke down and could not stop crying. The neighbor who comforted him was also in tears.
These moments of heartbreak are difficult to witness — they make you want to cry as well.
Also in Bucha, we were led into a
basement where five bodies had been found — the Ukrainians say the men had been executed by Russian troops. Some had their hands tied and gunshot wounds to the head or the heart.
You could still see the horror on their faces. It seemed like the dead wanted the truth of their violent death to be uncovered.
No matter how many bodies you see, you never forget a single one.
As Ukrainians reclaim areas previously occupied by invading Russian troops, evidence of the horrors of recent weeks is emerging from the rubble of shattered villages and towns. New victims are discovered on a daily basis. And those lucky enough to have survived the
ordeal tell harrowing tales of kidnappings, rapes and torture.
Iryna Venediktova, Ukraine’s prosecutor general speaks with CNN in Bucha on April 11.
(CNN)
Iryna Venediktova, Ukraine’s prosecutor general, said Monday that her office is investigating 5,800 cases of alleged Russian
war crimes, with “more and more” proceedings opening every day.
Russia has denied allegations of war crimes and claims its forces do not target civilians. But CNN journalists on the ground in Ukraine have seen firsthand evidence of atrocities at multiple locations across the country.
Read more about what CNN journalists have witnessed in Ukraine here.