U.N. 'horrified' by images of Bucha massacre

The U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, said Monday that she was "horrified" by the images of corpses discovered in the Ukrainian town of Bucha after the withdrawal of Russian troops.

"I am horrified by the images of civilians lying dead in the streets and in makeshift graves in the city of Bucha in Ukraine," Bachelet said in a statement quoted by Infobae.

"The information that is coming out of this area and others raises serious and troubling questions about possible war crimes and serious breaches of international humanitarian law, as well as serious human rights abuses," she added while also calling for "preservation of all evidence."

In addition to efforts to identify the bodies to inform the families, Bachelet called for a thorough investigation to determine the causes of the deaths.

Images of mass graves circulated across social media on Sunday as Ukraine's top prosecutor, Iryna Venedyktova, claimed officials found at least 410 bodies in towns surrounding Kyiv following the withdrawal of Russian forces from the area.

Russia denied accusations that its troops killed civilians in Bucha. Meanwhile, the town’s mayor claimed that at least 300 residents have died. The Kremlin's U.N. diplomat, Dmitry Polyanskiy, on Sunday claimed that the images of dead civilians were a "provocation by Ukrainian radicals."

Venedyktova said prosecutors "need to work with witnesses," but they are extremely traumatized, according to Reuters.

The photos also show bodies lying on the city's streets, some of them with their hands tied behind their backs. Other images show people shot while riding bicycles.

💬@ZelenskyyUa: Bucharest, NATO Summit Declaration. April 3, 14 years ago. There was a chance to prevent, so that 🇷🇺 didn’t come. Bucha, Kyiv region. Now. 🇷🇺 has come.

Mothers of 🇷🇺 soldiers should see that. See what bastards you've raised. Murderers, looters, butchers. pic.twitter.com/0ngZnNNZTT

— Defence of Ukraine (@DefenceU) April 3, 2022

"The mothers of Russian soldiers should see that. See what bastards you’ve have raised. Murderers, looters, butchers," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said after seeing the photos of Bucha, the Kyiv Independent reported.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken also condemned the massacre. "We strongly condemn apparent atrocities committed by Kremlin forces in Bucha and throughout Ukraine," he tweeted. "We are pursuing accountability using every tool available, documenting and sharing information to hold accountable those responsible."

We strongly condemn apparent atrocities by Kremlin forces in Bucha and across Ukraine. We are pursuing accountability using every tool available, documenting and sharing information to hold accountable those responsible.

— Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) April 4, 2022