Ukraine accuses Russia of massacre, city strewn with bodies

BUCHA, Ukraine (AP) — As foreign outrage mounts over evidence of possible executions and other atrocities by Russian forces in Ukraine, Germany’s defense minister says Europe must consider stepping up penalties for Moscow by boycotting its gas exports, an economically painful step European leaders previously avoided.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Monday that “we strongly condemn attacks on civilians” following reports of bodies found with signs of torture in areas abandoned by Russian forces. New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern called reports of rape and other atrocities by Russian soldiers “beyond reprehensible.”

Meanwhile, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy appealed in a video shown during the Grammy Awards in Las Vegas for musicians and other artists to help tell the story of Russia’s invasion. “Support us in any way you can,” Zelenskyy said.

Also Sunday, at least seven people were killed and 34 wounded, including three children, by Russian shelling of Kharkiv in the northeast, Ukraine's second-biggest city, according to the regional prosecutor's office. In the Black Sea port of Mykolaiv, regional Gov. Vitaliy Kim said at least one person died in shelling and 14 were wounded.

Ukrainian officials said bodies of 410 civilians were found in towns around the capital, Kyiv, that were recaptured from Russian forces.

In Bucha, northwest of the capital, Associated Press journalists saw 21 bodies. One group of nine, all in civilian clothes, were scattered around a site that residents said Russian troops used as a base. They appeared to have been shot at close range. At least two had their hands tied behind their backs.

Zelenskyy called the killings evidence of genocide, but Russia’s Defense Ministry rejected the accusation. It said photos and videos of dead...