Ukraine says it has found more than 1,200 bodies in Kyiv region
Ukrainian prosecutor says the country has a list of 500 suspects for war crimes
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Ukraine has said it has found over 1,200 bodies in the Kyiv region alone as it alleges Moscow of war crimes with 500 suspects identified.
Ukraine’s prosecutor Iryna Venediktova on Sunday described Russian president Vladimir Putin as the “main war criminal of 21st century” as she shared the figures of bodies recovered from the Kyiv region, many areas of which were under the Russian control for weeks before Moscow’s retreat.
“We have actually now, only for this morning, 1,222 dead people only in Kyiv region,” Ms Venediktova said in an interview with Sky News.
“Of course what we see on the ground, in all regions of Ukraine is war crimes, crime against humanity,” she said, adding that what Ukraine has found in the eastern parts is “still frightening”.
Ukraine has repeatedly called for Russia to be tried for war crimes as mass graves emerged in the town of Bucha, 57km from Kyiv, and many other areas. Some bodies were found with their hands tied and with signs of torture as Russia retreated.
The UN on Sunday said 4,232 civilian casualties had been recorded in Ukraine to date, with 1,793 killed and 2,439 injured.
Ms Venediktova said there are about 5,600 cases in Ukraine “only about war crimes,” insisting that there is evidence.
She also said it has identified 500 Russian suspects for aggression against Ukraine, including top military officials, politicians and propaganda agents “who have done everything to start this war and they continue this war against Ukraine.”
When asked whether Mr Putin is one of the 500 identified suspects, Ms Venediktova said: “Vladimir Putin is the main war criminal of 21st century.”
She said Ukraine understands Putin’s role but respects international law, adding that since he holds the position of a president, one of the three positions to hold functional immunity, hence he is not a suspect on the list.
“If prosecutor of the international criminal court decided to prosecute them, they will be responsible for all their crimes.”
The Independent has a proud history of campaigning for the rights of the most vulnerable, and we first ran our Refugees Welcome campaign during the war in Syria in 2015. Now, as we renew our campaign and launch this petition in the wake of the unfolding Ukrainian crisis, we are calling on the government to go further and faster to ensure help is delivered.
To find out more about our Refugees Welcome campaign, click here. To sign the petition click here. If you would like to donate then please click here for our GoFundMe page.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments