KYVIV: Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says the country will conduct a probe into alleged atrocities against civilians by Russian troops involving international investigators.
Zelenskyy said in an address that "the world has seen many war crimes", adding that "the time has come to make the war crimes committed by Russian troops the last such evil on Earth". He said that a special justice mechanism will be created to investigate the Russian atrocities with participation of international prosecutors and judges.
Ukrainian authorities have said that the bodies of at least 410 civilians have been found in areas outside the Ukrainian capital after last week's withdrawal of Russian troops, many with bound hands, close-range gunshot wounds and signs of torture.
International leaders have condemned the reported atrocities and called for tougher sanctions against Moscow.
Russia has rejected the accusations of killing civilians as a "provocation" by Ukrainian authorities and initiated a meeting of the UN Security Council to discuss the issue.