The horror that was too much even for Ukraine's hero president: Emotional Zelensky has to compose himself and says he finds it 'difficult to talk' as he surveys the carnage at Bucha and condemns Russian 'genocide'

• **WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT** 
• Mass graves uncovered in Bucha, city to the west of Kyiv which Russian forces retreated from at the weekend
• One containing the bodies of at least 57 civilians was uncovered in the ground of a church in the city centre
• Satellite images reveal pit was dug some time before March 31, as Putin's men were still in control of the area
• Officials say the bodies of at least 410 civilians have been found in total, with many strewn through the streets
• One grave contained the bodies of a mayoress and her family who were killed for refusing to collaborate 
• Ukrainian foreign minister branded Russia 'worse than ISIS' as world leaders called for a war crimes probe 

By RACHAEL BUNYAN and CHRIS PLEASANCE FOR MAILONLINE -4 April 2022 

A visibly emotional Volodymyr Zelensky today stood motionless as he surveyed the scene of utter devastation he encountered in the town of Bucha, with dozens of bodies shot at close range laying on the empty streets.

The Ukrainian President appeared overwhelmed at seeing the carnage in the town, admitting he finds 'it very difficult to talk when you see what they've done here'. 

On the streets of Bucha, northwest of Kyiv, the bodies of civilians have been found scattered, many with bound hands, close-range gunshot wounds and signs of torture, after Russian forces retreated from the area.

Ukraine and Western leaders have accused Russia of carrying out the massacre of civilians and dumping their bodies in mass graves, with one pit containing at least 57 people in Bucha. 

Zelensky today said it had become harder for Ukraine to negotiate with Russia since Kyiv became aware of the scale of alleged atrocities carried out by Russian troops in Ukraine.

'These are war crimes and will be recognised by the world as genocide,' Zelenskiy said, wearing body armour and surrounded by military personnel.

'It's very difficult to talk when you see what they've done here,' he said. 'The longer the Russian Federation drags out the meeting process, the worse it is for them and for this situation and for this war.'

'We know of thousands of people killed and tortured, with severed limbs, raped women and murdered children,' he said, adding that in Bucha and other towns in the Kyiv region 'dead people have been found in barrels, basements, strangled, tortured.'

Zelensky said that despite the horrific human suffering in Bucha, residents were chipping in together to make sure homeless animals were fed.

'That's a characteristic trait of our people, I think - treat animals the way you would treat humans,' he said. 'But you can see around what was done to this modern town. That's a characteristic of Russian soldiers – treat people worse than animals. That is real genocide, what you have seen here today.' 

Ukraine's prosecutor-general said the bodies of 410 civilians, many with bound hands and close-range gunshot wounds, have been recovered from towns surrounding Kyiv after last week's withdrawal of Russian troops.

A mass grave containing the bodies of at least 20 civilians including a mayor and her family were uncovered in woodland near the town of Motzyhn, around 20 miles west of Bucha where another mass grave has been found.

The pit contains the bodies of local mayor Olga Sukhenko who was buried along with her husband and son, according to Ukraine's former ambassador to Austria Olexander Scherba. 

WARNING: GRAPHIC IMAGES  

Broken: A visibly emotional President Volodymyr Zelensky today stood motionless as he surveyed the scene of utter devastation he encountered in the town of Bucha, with dozens of bodies shot at close range laying on the empty streets

The Ukrainian President appeared overwhelmed at seeing the carnage in the town, admitting he finds 'it very difficult to talk'

During his visit to Bucha today, Ukraine's President Zelensky said it had become harder for the country to negotiate with Russia since Kyiv became aware of the scale of alleged atrocities carried out by Russian troops in parts of Ukraine

'These are war crimes and will be recognised by the world as genocide,' Zelenskiy said, wearing body armour on his outing

Zelensky said that despite the human suffering, residents were chipping in together to make sure homeless animals were fed

'You can see around what was done to this modern town. That's a characteristic of Russian soldiers – treat people worse than animals. That is real genocide, what you have seen here today,' said President Zelensky, who appeared visibly emotional

A mass grave containing the bodies of at least 20 civilians including a mayor and her family was found near Motzyhn, 20 miles west of Bucha where another mass grave was found. Zelensky pictured speaking to military personnel in Bucha, near Kyiv

Communal workers carry body bags in the town of Bucha, not far from the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv on Sunday

A Ukrainian policeman walks by a pit in the village of Motyzhyn, Ukraine, April 3, where the bodies of the mayor of the village, Olga Sukhenko, her husband and son and that of a man believed to be a Ukrainian serviceman, who was not yet identified, lie

Pictured: Black bags containing bodies of civilians, who according to residents were killed by Russian troops, are seen at the cemetery after being picked up from the streets before they are taken to the morgue, in Bucha, in Kyiv region of Ukraine

Volunteers unload bags containing bodies of civilians, who according to residents were killed by Russian army soldiers

The streets of Bucha were littered with the bodies of people (pictured) slain by Russian troops according to local residents

Family: The head of the village of Motyzhyn, Ms Sukhenko (pictured left) had been missing since March 25 when she was reported kidnapped by Russian forces, along with her husband Igor (pictured right) and son Alexander (pictured centre)

Pictured: A satellite image taken on March 31 shows the mass grave - a 45ft-long pit - dug behind the Church of St. Andrew and Pyervozvannoho All Saints in Bucha, during the time that Russian forces were in control of the region----------------------------------

Visibly distressed Zelensky speaks to press on streets of Bucha

 

Ms Sukhenko's body had been rolled into the hastily-dug pit alongside at least 19 others including families, some of whom showed signs of torture. Sukhenko was found with her fingers and arms broken, according to the mayor of the nearby town of Kopyliv, while a resident of Motyzhyn said Russian soldiers killed any Ukrainian officials who refused to collaborate.

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