Images of bodies in the streets of Bucha

Horrifying images from the cities of Bucha and Irpin show the bodies of hundreds of civilians left lying in the streets and buried in mass graves.

A search of social media reveals the earliest posts of the image were on pro-Russian accounts, which claimed the body was found near the city of Mariupol.

According to those accounts, the body was found in the basement of a building that had been used as the barracks of the Azov Battalion which is defending the city.

They claimed the Swastika had been etched by members of the battalion, which is known for its links to neo-Nazism.

At the time of the original posts - around March 27 - pro-Ukraine accounts had hit back, claiming Russian forces deliberately mutilated the body as part of a 'false flag' to justify their invasion.

Putin has long maintained that one of the goals of his 'special military operation' is to 'de-Nazify' Ukraine, having falsely told his troops that the country is ruled by fascists.



The image emerged amid calls for a war crimes investigation led by prosecutors for the International Criminal Court at The Hague, after horrifying evidence of civilian slaughter emerged from areas captured by the Russians.

In Bucha, the bodies of at least 410 civilians have been found by Ukrainian officials - 57 of them buried in a mass grave located in the ground of a church.

Others have been found lying in the streets, some shot to death with their hands tied behind their backs and others gunned down while riding their bicycles.

Several were stacked on top of tyres, as if to be burned, while vehicles with markings saying 'children' on the front and sides were discovered shot to pieces.

A second mass grave, found in the town of Motyzhyn, contains the bodies of some 20 civilians including local mayor Olga Sukhenko, her husband, and their son.

Olexander Scherba, Ukraine's former ambassador to Austria who was quoting another local official, said the bodies showed signs of being torture - with their fingers and arms broken.

Footage released by the Ukrainian military showed what appeared to be a 'torture chamber' in a building used as a barracks by Russian troops in Bucha.

The bodies of civilians were lined up against a wall in the basement, kneeling, having been killed. At least one had been shot through the knee before being killed, the military said.

Civilian survivors said some bodies left on the streets had been run over by Russian tanks and 'squashed like animal skin rugs'. Others reported seeing soldiers shoot dead elderly civilians in front of their relatives.

Dmytro Kuleba, Ukraine's foreign minister, said Russian troops had instigated a 'deliberate massacre' in Bucha and branded them 'worse than ISIS'.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson led world leaders in condemning the violence at the weekend, pledging to send funding and specialist investigators to help with the war crimes probe. 'We will not rest until justice is served,' he vowed.

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said 'the Russian authorities are responsible for these atrocities, committed while they had effective control of the area.'

'The perpetrators of war crimes and other serious violations as well as the responsible government officials and military leaders will be held accountable,' he added.

French President Emmanuel Macron said Monday that there is 'clear evidence of war crimes' in Bucha that demand new measures.

'I'm in favor of a new round of sanctions and in particular on coal and petrol. We need to act,' he said on France-Inter radio.

Poland's Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki described Russia as a 'totalitarian-fascist state,' saying 'the bloody massacres perpetrated by Russian soldiers deserve to be called by name: This is genocide.'

Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez also used the word 'genocide,' saying those responsible should answer for their crimes.