Kyiv police say 3 Ukrainian men found dead, signs of torture in Bucha

Kyiv regional police chief Andriy Nebytov announced Saturday the discovery of the bodies of three men who were allegedly bound and tortured by Russian forces.

The bodies of the men were found in the Bucha, a region where Ukranians allege Russia has committed war crimes amid its invasion of the former Soviet state.

Kyiv police said they are currently unable to identify the men due to the damage the bodies sustained during torture. The injuries include multiple gun shot wounds and their faces were disfigured, Reuters reported. 

The newswire noted that it could not independently verify the claims by Nebytov. The Hill has reached out to the Ukrainian embassy in the U.S. for additional information.

The men are believed to be civilians based on their clothing, according to Reuters. They were found in the woods in shallow graves close to where Russian forces previously occupied before pulling away from Kyiv.

After the torture, Nebytov said they were killed when “each of the men was shot in the ear,” according to Reuters. 

Nebytov said 1,202 civilian bodies have been found in the Kyiv region since the beginning of the war. 

Russian forces withdrew from around Kyiv to refocus efforts in the Donbas region after failing to make notable progress near Ukraine’s capital. 

Ukraine has accused Russia of war crimes such as targeting civilians, rape, torture and kidnapping. Russia has denied all the allegations against it. 

The International Criminal Court is currently investigating the actions in Ukraine after launching the case days after the war began. 

The Hill has reached out to the Russian embassy in the U.S. for comment.