Germany accuses Russia of 'war crimes' in Ukraine, signals tougher sanctions

BERLIN (AA) - Germany on Sunday accused Russia of committing "war crimes" in Ukraine, following reports of atrocities in the town of Bucha near Kyiv.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz said dozens of civilians, including women, children, and the elderly, were among those killed in the town.

"Killing civilians is a war crime. We must relentlessly investigate these crimes committed by the Russian armed forces," he told a news conference in Berlin.

Scholz also signaled that Germany is weighing tougher sanctions on Russia, following the latest reports from Ukraine.

"With our allies, we will decide on further measures in the next few days," he said, vowing to continue providing arms to Ukraine.

Scholz renewed his call for Russian President Vladimir Putin to immediately cease all combat operations in Ukraine and withdraw Russian troops from the country.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba called on the international organizations on Sunday to send their experts to the country as soon as possible to collect evidence of war crimes committed by the Russian troops.

Meanwhile, the Russian Defense Ministry has denied that its troops killed civilians while withdrawing from towns near Kyiv.

The Russian war against Ukraine, which started on Feb. 24, has been met with international outrage, with the EU, US, and Britain, among others, implementing tough financial sanctions on Moscow.

At least 1,417 civilians have been killed in Ukraine and 2,038 injured, according to UN estimates, with the true figure feared to be far higher.

More than 4.1 million Ukrainians have also fled to other countries, with millions more internally displaced, according to the UN refugee agency.