A group of Russian soldiers now face criminal charges after being accused of holding Ukrainian civilians hostage and mistreating them in Bucha, a Kyiv suburb, The Wall Street Journal reports.
A total of 10 noncommissioned officers and privates of Russia's 64th Separate Guards Motor Rifle Brigade were charged by Ukrainian authorities on Thursday. The Journal describes this as the "first such move by prosecutors investigating possible war crimes by Moscow's forces."
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Ukrainian officials say they found over 400 dead civilian bodies in mass graves, as well as on Bucha's streets and sidewalks in March when the Russian invasion of the city began.
"Our goal is to identify every criminal who committed a crime, for every crime to find its perpetrator," said Ruslan Kravchenko, Bucha's chief prosecutor.
Several of the bodies had bullet wounds and some had their wrists restrained behind their backs, authorities revealed. Some Bucha residents who were also held captive by Russian troops told investigators they were tortured and starved.
Putin, who previously called reports out of Bucha "fake," has moved to promote or otherwise honor the Russian soldiers in the accused brigade, reports the Journal.
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