World leaders demand war crimes trials for Bucha killings

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy left Kyiv for the first time in six weeks Monday to visit mass graves and piles of dead civilians in Bucha, a city 23 miles northwest of Kyiv. Kyiv Regional Police reported at least 150 people buried in a mass grave, but Bucha’s mayor said the death toll is likely closer to 300. Zelenskyy said dead civilians were found in barrels and basements with signs of torture.

What does the rest of the world say? President Joe Biden again called Russian President Vladimir Putin a war criminal and demanded a trial. Germany and France expelled dozens of Russian diplomats Monday, accusing them of being spies. French President Emanuel Macron urged new rounds of sanctions against Russia, specifically on coal and gasoline. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced the EU will send investigators to Ukraine to document war crimes. U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield said she will ask the General Assembly to suspend Russia. The Kremlin insists the pictures and information coming from Bucha are “stage-managed” Ukrainian propaganda.

Dig deeper: Track WORLD’s ongoing coverage of the war.