WARNING: This story contains disturbing details
Canadian leaders are condemning civilian killings in Ukraine after the Russian retreat to the southeast revealed Ukrainian towns scattered with bodies.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tweeted Sunday that Canadians “strongly condemn the murder of civilians in Ukraine, remain committed to holding the Russian regime accountable, and will continue to do everything we can to support the people of Ukraine
“Those responsible for these egregious and appalling attacks will be brought to justice,” he wrote.
His tweet linked to an earlier tweet from Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly.
“The news of the senseless murder of innocent civilians in Ukraine, including in Bucha, is shocking,” she wrote.
“Canada will not spare any effort, including investigations of war crimes, to ensure that those responsible are held to account.”
Bucha’s mayor, Anatoliy Fedork, told Reuters that Russian soldiers had killed more than 300 residents of the town. Many of those slain had been lying in the streets for days, with photos showing some civilians crumpled on the ground with grocery bags still in hand, or bicycles tipped over with them.
Locals who had stayed hidden while Russian troops were occupying the town told reporters that civilians were killed indiscriminately, without having done anything to provoke attack.
Bob Rae, Canada’s representative to the United Nations, tweeted that Russian President Vladimir Putin would be “forever associated with crimes of cruelty and savagery.”
“The images from Bucha are horrific,” Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland tweeted. “The guilty must – and will – be brought to justice.”
Defence Minister Anita Anand joined colleagues in expressing horror at the “brutal murder of innocent civilians in Ukraine.
“We will continue to apply maximum pressure against the Russian regime and assist Ukraine through economic, humanitarian and military aid,” she tweeted. “Those responsible for these attacks will be brought to justice.”
