Bodies of 'executed civilians' booby trapped by russian troops

The bodies of at least thirteen dead civilians were found along a road out of the capital as Ukrainian personnel were able to access the area after Vladimir Putin’s troops left this week.

Nearby, other corpses had been booby trapped to endanger recovery efforts, the Mail Online reported. Olena Halushka, a member of the anti-corruption group in Ukraine, said some bodies were

mined by Russian forces before they retreated. As Western journalists are increasingly able to accompany advancing Ukrainian troops near Kyiv now Kremlin troops have withdrawn from the area,

more evidence is being unearthed of war crimes carried out by Putin’s soldiers - particularly the targeting and killing of civilians. Pictures from the heavily besieged city of Irpin on

Friday showed soldiers and volunteers carrying body bags down a destroyed stretch of road. The northwest suburb of Kyiv has been one of the main battlegrounds for weeks. Ukrainian forces

have now pushed Putin’s troops out of the region, which is firmly back under Ukraine’s control. The mayor of Irpin, Olexsandr Markushyn, said this week that up to 300 civilians and

“defenders” had been killed during Russia’s occupation, which lasted a matter of days. He added that up to 50 percent of the city’s building and critical infrastructure has been damaged. The

city was home to around 60,000 residents before Putin launched his invasion of Ukraine on February 24. Mayor Markushyn said around 3,500 people had stayed in the city while the rest fled

the brutal bombardment. He added officials were still looking for people hidden in their basements. The mayor urged the city’s residents not to return home yet, as the city is still under

heavy fire from Russian artillery. READ MORE: PUTIN LIKENED TO HITLER AS HE ATTACKS RED CROSS BUILDING An investigation by the BBC found 13 bodies on a 200-yard-long stretch of road that

runs into Kyiv from the west, around 5 miles south of Irpin. Only two of the dead were wearing recognisable Ukrainian military uniforms, and two were confirmed as Ukrainian civilians killed

by Russian troops. The young couple, Maksim Iowenko, his wife Ksejna and their six-year-old son were part of a 10-car convoy driving down the road when they came under fire from a Russian

tank crew on March 7. Harrowing footage captured by an aerial drone showed Mr Iowenko stop the car and get up with his hands above his head. Despite the obvious surrender, Russian troops

hidden out of sight gunned him down in broad daylight. DON'T MISS: UKRAINE LIVE: RUSSIA PULLING TROOPS BACK - PUTIN'S NEXT MOVE UNCLEAR [LIVE] ZELENSKY FIRES TWO TOP UKRAINIAN

SECURITY OFFICIALS [BREAKING] RUSSIA’S BIGGEST IMPORT SOURCE PULLS BACK OVER SANCTIONS [LATEST] His wife was also killed in the attack, while their son and an elderly woman who was also in

the car survived. They were later released by Russian troops. When she returned home, the woman told her family that Mr Iowenko had been shouting that there was a child in the car when he

was killed, according to the BBC. Reporters found the car burnt-out and what they believed to be the father’s remains. As footage did not show the car on fire when it was attacked, it is

thought that Russian soldiers torched the vehicle to destroy evidence of the murder. Evidence of Kremlin troops attempting to destroy bodies has been found along the road, with some under

tyres with charred clothing. The intentional killing of civilians is a war crime under international humanitarian law. Evidence of Russia committing war crimes in Ukraine is currently being

investigated by the International Criminal Court (ICC).