INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Ukraine on Sunday accused Russian troops of war crimes after the discovery of mass graves and civilians apparently "executed" in the streets
the conflict, with air strikes apparently targeting key infrastructure.In Bucha, AFP reporters saw at least 20 bodies, all in civilian
clothing, strewn across a single street
One had his hands tied behind his back with a white cloth, and his Ukrainian passport left open beside his body."All these people were
Minister Dmytro Kuleba called it a "deliberate massacre" and urged G7 countries to impose "devastating" sanctions immediately."It looks
exactly like war crimes," President Volodymyr Zelensky's spokesman told BBC television."We found mass graves
We found people with their hands and with their legs tied up..
their involvement in these atrocities through cynical disinformation," she added.In Brussels, European Council chief Charles Michel said the
EU was helping Ukraine and NGOs gather evidence "for pursuit in international courts."And Germany's vice chancellor and economy minister
Criminal Court in The Hague has already opened a probe into possible war crimes committed in Ukraine.Several Western leaders, including U.S
Russian troops committing possible war crimes against civilians in occupied areas of Chernigiv, Kharkiv, and Kyiv, including rape and
summary execution.Zelensky has also alleged that Russian soldiers planted mines and other booby traps as they withdraw from northern
Ukraine, warning returning residents to be wary of tripwires and other dangers.Ukraine's deputy prime minister Iryna Vereshchuk meanwhile
said 11 local community leaders in Kyiv, Kherson, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, Mykolaiv and Donetsk were "in captivity."Oil refineryIn Odessa,
plumes of thick black smoke billowed over the strategic port city, after air strikes shook residents awake at about 6:00 a.m
(03:00 GMT)."We were woken up by the first explosion then we saw a flash in the sky, then another, then another
I lost count," one local man, Mykola, 22, told AFP from the roof of a building overlooking the site.Russia's Defense Ministry said,
"High-precision sea and air-based missiles destroyed an oil refinery and three storage facilities for fuel and lubricants" at Odessa that
shot down by air defense."The strikes came as top UN humanitarian envoy Martin Griffiths was expected in Moscow then Kyiv to seek a halt in
the fighting, which by Ukrainian estimates has left some 20,000 people dead.Nearly 4.2 million Ukrainians have fled the country
24, with almost 40,000 pouring into neighboring countries in the last 24 hours alone, the UN refugee agency said.The International
Organization for Migration said nearly 6.48 million were estimated to be displaced inside Ukraine.Pope Francis, on a visit to the
and Putin on ending the conflict.He said Ukraine had become "more realistic" in its approach to issues related to the neutral and
non-nuclear status of Ukraine but a draft agreement for submission to a summit meeting was not ready.He said he did not share the "optimism"
of Ukraine's negotiators on the possibility of talks between the two countries' leaders in Turkey.His Ukrainian counterpart, David
Arakhamia, had said on Saturday that Moscow had "verbally" agreed to key Ukrainian proposals, raising hopes that talks to end fighting were
moving forward.Ukraine has proposed abandoning its aspirations to join NATO and declaring official neutrality, if it obtains security
guarantees from Western countries
It would also pledge not to host any foreign military bases.It has proposed to temporarily put aside the question of Crimea, annexed
Russian forces withdraw from some northern areas, Moscow appears to be focusing on eastern and southern Ukraine, where it already holds vast
swathes of territory.UK Defense Intelligence said early Sunday that Russian air activity in the last week had been concentrating on
and destroy air systems, which has "signficantly affected their ability to support the advance of their ground forces."In his latest video
message, Zelensky said Russian troops wanted to seize the disputed Donbas region and the south of Ukraine, promising "to defend our freedom,
our land and our people."Ukraine on Saturday claimed progress against Russian forces, saying Irpin, Bucha, Gostomel and the whole Kyiv
region had been "liberated."ProtestsRussia's efforts to consolidate its hold on southern and eastern areas of Ukraine have been hampered by
the resistance of Mariupol despite devastating attacks lasting weeks.At least 5,000 residents have been killed in the besieged southern port
city, according to officials, while the estimated 160,000 who remain face shortages of food, water and electricity.The International
Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said its team left for Mariupol on Saturday to make another attempt at conducting an evacuation, after
being forced to turn back the day before.
