Russia branded ‘worse than ISIS’ after troops execute more than 400 civilians in ‘genocide’ leaving bodies on the street

RUSSIA was accused of genocide and “worse than ISIS” after the bodies of executed civilians lay strewn in the roads and mass graves were filled. At least 20 bodies, all in civilian clothing, were seen across a single street in the town of Bucha, near Irpin, on Sunday. AFPBodies lie on a street in Bucha, northwest of Kyiv, as the UK investigates war crimes[/caption] Four dead civilians were found under a blanket by the side of theroadRex AFPA dead civilian is found lying in the road with his hands tied behind his back[/caption] APNeighbours gather next to a mass grave in Bucha, in the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine[/caption] A dead civilian can be seen on a highway 20km from KyivRex However, Ukrainian officials say 410 people have been found dead in towns near Kyiv so far, with 300 killed in Bucha alone, and 57 were discovered in  one mass grave there  Among those said to have been killed was 14-year-old boy. There have also been claims of rapes and the Kremlin’s soldiers “mutilating children”. In nearby Irpin, one report claimed Russian kill squads  shot women and girls and then drove over them in tanks. Moscow’s fighters booby-trapped corpses, sources added. Read More World News 'SLOW AND CHAOTIC' Just one in ten bids put to refugees Homes for Ukraine scheme approved PUTIN MUTINY Russian forces in chaos as soldiers ditch uniforms & 'shoot down own aircraft' At the time of the murders, Chechen forces controlled the area, it’s claimed. Russia has denied the allegations that troops killed civilians. Moscow says no residents suffered from any violence from Russian forces and accused Kyiv of staging the horrific scenes for western media. Ukraine’s foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba said: “Russia is worse than ISIS. They were killing civilians while leaving – out of anger and just because they wanted to kill. “We are still gathering bodies but the number has already gone into hundreds.” Most read in The Sun T-OWIE Towie's Chloe Brockett leaves bystander BLEEDING in furious club brawl with co-star FLAIR NIGHTMARE WWE cut live TV after Charlotte Flair suffers wardrobe malfunction CBBC TRAGEDY CBBC star dies aged 30 after battle with cystic fibrosis IN A SPIN Cheapest time to run your washing machine to cut your energy bills TURN BACK TIME Starstruck fans all say the same thing after Cher wins £50k in series final COR-RIE BLIMEY! Simon Gregson thrown out of bar after stripping & screaming ‘f**k you’ However, Boris Johnson warned the sickening images are evidence that Russia is committing war crimes in Ukraine. And he said Britain will step up sanctions and military aid in response. “I will do everything in my power to starve Putin’s war machine,” he said this afternoon. He added: “No denial or disinformation from the Kremlin can hide what we all know to be the truth — Putin is desperate, his invasion is failing, and Ukraine’s resolve has never been stronger. “We are stepping up our sanctions and military support, as well as bolstering our humanitarian support package to help those in need on the ground. “The UK has been at the forefront of supporting the International Criminal Court’s investigation into atrocities committed in Ukraine. “The Justice Secretary has authorised additional financial support and the deployment of specialist investigators — we will not rest until justice is served.” AFP journalists said at least nine of the bodies appeared to have been executed, including two whose hands were tied behind their backs. At least three were naked from the waist up while another man had his Ukrainian passport left open beside him. President Volodymyr Zelensky told the CBS program Face the Nation today: “This is genocide. The elimination of the whole nation and the people. “We are the citizens of Ukraine. We have more than 100 nationalities. “This is about the destruction and extermination of all these nationalities.” Bucha’s mayor, Anatoly Fedoruk, said “all these people were shot,” adding 280 other bodies had been buried in mass graves elsewhere in the town. It comes as… Vladimir Putin could be ousted in a ‘palace coup’ by his cronies within TWO YEARS, says intel analystsKremlin brazenly complains after Ukraine destroys fuel depot on Russian soil moaning that attack will hamper peace talksRussia vows to target British weapons & accuses UK of escalating war in Ukraine as tensions rageVladimir Putin’s forces mining homes and corpses & ‘using children as human shields’ Meanwhile Zelensky’s spokesman told the BBC: “It looks exactly like war crimes. “We found mass graves. We found people with their hands and with their legs tied up… and with shots, bullet holes, in the back of their head. “They were clearly civilians and they were executed.” Foreign Secretary Liz Truss today called for the attacks to be “investigated as war crimes” insisting: “We will not allow Russia to cover up their involvement in these atrocities through cynical disinformation.” Referring to towns on the outskirts of Kyiv, she said: “As Russian troops are forced into retreat, we are seeing increasing evidence of appalling acts by the invading forces in towns such as Irpin and Bucha. “Their indiscriminate attacks against innocent civilians during Russia’s illegal and unjustified invasion of Ukraine must be investigated as war crimes.” A  US State Department spokesman hinted at additional  action against Russia coming “very soon”. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz also vowed harder-hitting sanctions. The International Criminal Court in The Hague has already opened a probe into possible war crimes committed in Ukraine. Several Western leaders, including US President Joe Biden, have accused Russia’s Vladimir Putin of being a “war criminal”. Human Rights Watch also said it had documented cases of Russian troops committing possible war crimes against civilians in occupied areas of Chernigiv, Kharkiv, and Kyiv, including rape and summary execution. RUSSIANS ‘RETREAT’ It comes as Ukraine said it had regained control of the Kyiv region, with Russian troops retreating from around the capital and Chernigiv city. Ukrainian officials said on Saturday their forces had taken back more than 30 towns and villages around Kyiv, claiming complete control of the capital region for the first time since Russia launched its invasion. “The whole Kyiv region is liberated from the invader,” Ukrainian Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Malyar wrote on Facebook. But there is too much sorrow for celebration. The roads are mined, homes are destroyed and thousands of those who fled have been told, for now, not to return. After more than five weeks of brutal fighting, Russia is also understood to have regrouped for battles in eastern Ukraine. President Volodymyr Zelensky warned in a video address: “They are mining all this territory. Houses are mined, equipment is mined, even the bodies of dead people.” He said: “This is genocide. We are the citizens of Ukraine. We have more than 100 nationalities. This is about the destruction and extermination of all these nationalities.” He did not cite any evidence but the claims were echoed by Mayor Fedoruk, who said bodies had not been collected due to fears Russians had booby-trapped them. The mayor of Kyiv, former world heavyweight boxing champ Vitali Klitschko, said Putin was responsible for these “cruel war crimes”. Ukraine’s emergencies service said more than 1,500 explosives had been found in one day during a search of the village of Dmytrivka, west of the capital. Read More on The Sun T-OWIE Towie's Chloe Brockett leaves bystander BLEEDING in furious club brawl with co-star MENTAL STRAIN Tory MP in hospital for ‘severe shock & stress’ after cocaine scandal pic Russia’s defence ministry did not reply to a request for comment on the mining allegations and they have not been verified. Moscow denies targeting civilians and rejects war crimes allegations. APThe lifeless body of a Russian soldier lies on the ground in Bucha, in the outskirts of Kyiv, on Saturday[/caption] AFPCommunal workers carry a body of a civilian man killed by Russian troops’ shelling in Bucha[/caption] AFPCommunal workers collect the bodies of two men killed during Russian army shelling of the town of Bucha[/caption] APThe lifeless body of a man with his hands tied behind his back lies on the ground in Bucha on Sunday[/caption] A civilian’s body can be seen lying on a highway 20km from KyivRex A civilian defence force looks at four dead civilians on the side of a highway under a blanket 20km from KyivRex APThe lifeless body of a Russian soldier lies on the ground in Bucha, on the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday[/caption] We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun news desk? Email us at exclusive@the-sun.co.uk or call 0207 782 4104. You can WhatsApp us on 07423 720 250. We pay for videos too. 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