Ukrainian officials say they have watched disturbing radio broadcasts of Russian soldiers talking about the killing and rape of civilians. The audio clips, obtained and published by CNN, include orders for the killing of civilians and talk of a 16-year rape by Russian forces. It is unknown at this time what he will do after leaving the post. “A car passed, but I’m not sure if it was a car or a military vehicle. But two people were coming out of the grove dressed as civilians,” one soldier said over the radio. “Kill them all, damn it,” a second person replied. The first soldier starts protesting, saying that the village is civilian, causing the second person to answer: “What is happening to you? If there are civilians, kill them all.” Ukraine has accused Russia of deliberately targeting civilians, a charge the Kremlin has denied. International leaders have called for Russia and President Vladimir Putin to be investigated for possible war crimes. The calls became louder after Russian forces withdrew from areas around Kyiv, revealing liberated Ukrainian cities claiming that Russian forces had committed atrocities against them, including the killing and rape of civilians. A woman from the village of Shevchenkove said that Russian forces had killed her husband and repeatedly raped her – claiming that Ukrainian officials were investigating. The intercepted audio, released by CNN, also included a Russian soldier in a tank regiment telling a woman by radio that three tankers had raped a 16-year-old. “Our tankers?” the woman asked. After the soldier answered “yes”, the woman said: “Damn”. Some of the worst alleged atrocities took place in Bukha, a town near Kyiv, where a mass grave was discovered near a church following the retreat of Russian forces. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Friday that many Ukrainians were wondering “how many Buchas there are”, adding that it was still unknown what had happened in some small towns. “Some cities were completely destroyed,” Zelensky said. “Some cities just don’t exist anymore – no more buildings, no more people. I don’t know what we will find there.”
