Russian Soldiers Allegedly Tie Civilians' Hands, Shoot Them Dead On Streets [Photo]

Ukraine has accused Russia of committing war crimes after bodies with bound hands, close-range gunshot wounds and signs of torture were discovered in a previously occupied Ukrainian city, according to reports.

The bodies of at least 21 people lay scattered in Bucha, a city located northwest of the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv that was retaken from Russian forces Thursday, the Associated Press reported.

They appeared to have been killed at close range, according to the outlet. At least two had their hands tied behind their backs, one was shot in the head and another person had their legs bound.

Mykhailo Podoliak, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, shared purported images of the bodies in Bucha via a post on social media. One had their hands tied behind their back with what appeared to be a white piece of cloth.

"These people were not in the military. They had no weapons. They posed no threat. How many more such cases are happening right now in the occupied territories," Podoliak said in his post.

Russian forces deliberately killed civilians in Bucha during their month-long occupation, the city's mayor, Anatoliy Fedoruk, was cited as saying by Reuters.

"Corpses of executed people still line the Yabluska street in Bucha. Their hands are tied behind their backs with white 'civilian' rags, they were shot in the back of their heads. So you can imagine what kind of lawlessness they perpetrated here," Fedoruk said.

More than 300 Bucha residents have been killed, according to the mayor.

Some of the women found dead in the city were raped before they were killed and burned by the Russians, Oleksiy Arestovych, another adviser to Zelensky, alleged.

Around 280 people have been buried in mass graves since the Ukrainian army retook Bucha, Fedoruk told the AFP.

Following reports of the Bucha killings, Zelensky called for the end of Russia's war crimes in a video address Sunday, CNN reported.

"The world has already seen many war crimes. At different times. On different continents. But it is time to do everything possible to make the war crimes of the Russian military the last manifestation of such evil on earth," Zelensky said.

European leaders condemned the killings and called for tougher sanctions against Russia.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, for his part, said Sunday that his department would help document any atrocities the Russian military committed against Ukrainian civilians, according to another CNN report.

Russia has since denied responsibility for the Bucha killings.

"During the time that Russian armed forces were in control of this settlement, not a single local resident suffered from any violent actions," Russia's defense ministry said in a statement.

Russian troops delivered 452 tons of humanitarian aid to civilians around the Kyiv region before their withdrawal Wednesday, the ministry claimed.

A total of 1,417 civilians have been killed in Ukraine, while another 2,038 were left injured between the start of Russia's invasion on Feb. 24 and Saturday, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights said in its most recent casualty report.