ITV news team Peter Smith, Mike Field, John Angier and Kseniia Kozhushko film in war-torn villages ITV News has heard reports of Ukrainian civilians and detainees being killed by Russian soldiers retreating from occupied towns and villages. It comes as Ukraine’s top prosecutor says the bodies of more than 1,200 civilians have so far been found in areas recovered by Russian troops. Our team traveled to several villages near the city of Makariv, west of Kiev, and repeatedly heard allegations of war-age men being shot in the head. Olena Marzhunko says she saw her nephew shot. “I was standing in my garden and I saw three young boys walking here. “They had their hands high, Sasha was in front. Their hands were still high, but the Russians still shot them.” What we are seeing are war crimes, says ITV News correspondent Peter Smith Ihor Savran’s body was found in a barn after being ousted by Russian troops. His mother, Anastasia, says Russian soldiers dragged him out of their house in front of her, the next time she saw him, it was to identify his body. “He was shot in the right ear. He was lying down, as if asleep when he was killed.” He says he found him with his arms crossed under his head. Ukraine has blamed Russia for atrocities against civilians in Bukha and elsewhere near Kyiv, where hundreds of slaughtered civilians, many with their hands tied and signs of torture, found themselves after the withdrawal of Russian troops. The Kremlin continues to deny that its soldiers have committed war crimes. A woman hugs a Ukrainian soldier after an escort of military and aid vehicles arrived in the former Russian-occupied Bucha. Credit: AP A statement from the UK Department of Defense on Sunday night stated that “further evidence of alleged Russian war crimes continues to emerge following Russia’s withdrawal from northern Ukraine. “This includes the reported discovery of an improvised tomb containing dead Ukrainian citizens near Bourzova.” It added: “Allegations of sexual violence committed by Russian military personnel still exist.” On Sunday, a senior US official said Russia had appointed a new commander to oversee its invasion of Ukraine. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Russia had turned to one of its most experienced soldiers, General Alexander Dvornikov. The 60-year-old general has a history of barbarism against civilians in Syria and elsewhere. It comes as the Russian military raises more firepower in anticipation of an impending confrontation in eastern Ukraine – a period that could be a turning point in a war that leveled cities and killed untold thousands. Experts say a full-scale offensive in the east could be launched within days, although questions remain about the ability of Russia’s exhausted and discouraged forces to seize large swathes of territory. What you need to know – Listen to the latest analysis Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said more civilians were expected to leave Mariupol on Sunday. Evacuations are also planned from Berdyansk, Tokmak and Enerkhodar in the south and Siverierodonetsk, Lysikhansk, Popasna and Rubizne in the east. Mariupol, a strategic port on the Sea of Azov, has been under siege by Russian forces for almost six weeks – cut off from food, water and electricity and hit by relentless bombing. The death toll stands at at least 5,000, according to local officials. Ukrainian authorities have urged civilians in the east to flee in the face of an impending Russian attack. Russia has been accused of killing 52 people at a train station in the eastern city of Kramatorsk on Friday as it prepared to evacuate.
