UN aid chief pays visit to Ukrainian city of Bucha, mass grave

BUCHA, Ukraine

UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Martin Griffiths visited the Ukrainian city of Bucha and a mass grave Thursday.

Griffiths and his delegation inspected the city center of Bucha, which was the scene of intense fighting between Russian troops and Ukrainian forces before the Ukrainian army regained control last week, and then a mass grave where the bodies of civilians were brought.

Ukrainian officials told the delegation that nearly 300 corpses alone were brought to the grave opened next to the Church of St. Andrew & Pyervozvannoho All Saints.

The grave -- opened in Bucha, where the bodies of civilians allegedly killed by Russian troops were discovered -- has not been closed yet.

Meanwhile, work in the city on removing the debris of destroyed homes and burnt vehicles is ongoing.

Additionally, humanitarian aid has begun to be distributed to those in need by volunteers at the aid center established in the park in front of the municipal building in the city center.

One of the volunteers, Valerya Patakynka, who is a psychologist and came to Bucha to help people, said: "Like many other people, I volunteer to help those in need."

"People in Bucha were left without electricity and water. They can't even prepare food. We brought them ready meals."

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Moscow are facing vehement criticism from the international community after Ukraine accused Russian forces of committing "genocide" and "war crimes" in Bucha, a city near the capital Kyiv.

Russia has rejected the allegations as a "fake news attack," arguing that the images that have drawn global outrage were staged after Russian forces withdrew from the city.

The Russia-Ukraine war, which started Feb. 24, has drawn international outrage, with the European Union, US and UK, among others, implementing tough financial sanctions on Moscow.

At least 1,611 civilians have been killed in Ukraine and 2,227 injured, according to UN estimates, with the true figure feared to be far higher.

More than 4.3 million Ukrainians have fled to other countries, with millions more internally displaced, according to the UN refugee agency.