Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has visited Bucha, where Russia's army is accused of murdering hundreds of civilians three years ago, urging European allies to unite to prevent fresh massacres.
Following Russia's retreat from the Kyiv suburb of Bucha after a month-long occupation ending 31 March, 2022, AFP journalists saw the bodies of at least 20 civilians lying on a street after being shot dead, some with hands tied behind their backs.
It was the first in a string of macabre discoveries in towns abandoned by Russian forces, which sparked an international outcry and war crimes investigations.
Russia has denied responsibility, accusing Ukraine of staging incidents.
"Please remember that Bucha is not 'somewhere in Ukraine'; it is something that can happen in any European country if our unity does not work now to genuinely hold Russia accountable for this war," Mr Zelensky said at a ceremony.
He and his wife Olena placed candles at memorial sites at a ceremony attended by parliamentary speakers from European countries including the speaker of the House of Commons, Lindsay Hoyle.
Officials held a minute's silence in memory of civilians killed by Russia's forces.
Ukrainian authorities have opened more than 180,000 war crimes investigations, Mr Zelensky said, pinning hopes on the International Criminal Court to bring the most high-level criminals to justice.
As the US administration tries to broker a ceasefire and eventual peace deal between Russia and Ukraine, Mr Zelensky said his country wanted to end the war with "guaranteed security, which is very important, with lasting peace and with dignity".
He also cautioned against lifting the sanctions imposed on Russia over its invasion, saying Russia should not "benefit" from the war.
"Pressure on Russia and sanctions against it are necessary to ensure that the war and abuse do not expand further," he said.
Russia has made a deal on halting strikes in the Black Sea conditional on the lifting of sanctions on its financial institutions involved in food exports.
The US has said it will help restore Russia's access to the world market for its agricultural and fertiliser exports.
Russia pounds Kharkiv for second night in row, Ukraine says
Russia has attacked the city of Kharkiv in northeastern Ukraine for a second consecutive night, injuring three people, sparking fires at industrial buildings and damaging two pre-schools, Ukrainian officials said today.
The attack on Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, lasted most of the night and hit the city's largest and oldest district, Mayor Ihor Terekhov said.
"Five industrial buildings of one of the research and production enterprises were damaged," Mr Terekhov said on Telegram.
Emergency crews said they battled a large fire which spanned 3,900 square meters after the strike. The drone assault on the city also damaged 11 apartment buildings, Mr Terekhov said.
The attack came a week after a US-brokered partial ceasefire on strikes on energy and Black Sea infrastructure. Both sides have accused each other of breaking the moratorium.
The Ukrainian air force said it shot down 57 of 131 drones launched by Russia during the overnight attack that also used two Iskander-M ballistic missiles.
Another 45 drones did not reach their targets, likely due to electronic countermeasures, it said.
Mr Zelensky said yesterday that Russia had fired more than 1,000 drones over the past week and he called for a response from the US and other allies. Russia said Ukrainian drones attacked its energy facilities last week.
Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022 and has waged a bloody and brutal three-year war. Both sides deny targeting civilians, saying their attacks are aimed at destroying each other's infrastructure crucial to war efforts.
Over the weekend a Russian drone strike on Kharkiv killed two people and wounded 35, a Ukrainian official said.
Oleh Sinehubov, governor of the Kharkiv region, said today that the overnight attacks followed a guided aerial bomb strike on the city of Kupiansk yesterday that left five injured and damaged an apartment building.
Kupiansk, east of Kharkiv, was seized by Russia early in the invasion of Ukraine and recaptured by Ukrainian troops later that year. It has now come under new, intense Russian pressure.
There was no immediate comment from Moscow on the attacks.
