Mass Victims Of Civilians Suspected Not Only In Bucha, President Zelensky Will Address The UN Security Council Today

JAKARTA - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said he would address the UN Security Council on Tuesday regarding the alleged mass killing of civilians by Russian troops.

Tuesday's Security Council session is to consider Ukraine's accusations of the killing of civilians by Russian soldiers in Bucha, northwest of Kyiv, following the discovery of hundreds of bodies, some tied up and shot at close range.

Russia vehemently denies the allegations, calling them "criminal provocations" and saying it will provide the Security Council with empirical evidence that its forces were not involved in the atrocities.

The Ukrainian leader has spoken via video link to more than a dozen assemblies, including the US Congress, UK Parliament and European Parliament.

"I want to emphasize that we are interested in the most complete and transparent investigation, the results of which will be known and explained to the entire international community," said President Zelensky, looking stern in his video address late Tuesday.

In Bucha, where mass graves and bodies were found after Ukraine recaptured the city from Russian troops, at least 300 civilians were killed, President Zelensky said.

"And this is only one city, one of the many Ukrainian communities that the Russian forces have captured," he said.

"Now, there is information that in Borodyanka and some other liberated Ukrainian cities, the number of victims of the occupiers may be much higher," he continued.

Ukrainian authorities say they have restored control of all of Kyiv and other districts, after Russia announced it was diverting its objectives from Kyiv and Chernihiv in the north, to secure control over all of the eastern Donbas region.

Around the regions of Kyiv, Chernihiv and Sumy further north and east, "the invaders did something the locals didn't even witness during the Nazi occupation 80 years ago," said President Zelensky.

It is in Ukraine's interest to have "thousands of journalists there. As much as possible! Let the world see what Russia has done," he added.

He added that Russian troops were not hiding what was happening in Bucha but could have done it in other places they occupied.