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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said fresh sanctions from the West would not be "enough" to respond to the atrocities Ukrainians say have been committed in the town of Bucha, near Kyiv, where grisly images purportedly show slain civilians.
"There will definitely be a new sanctions package against Russia," Zelenskyy said in a video address Sunday night. "But I'm sure that's not enough," he said as he made an impassioned plea for a stronger international response to Russia's invasion.
Residents of Bucha have accused Russian forces of targeting civilians in a deadly campaign that Mayor Anatoliy Fedoruk said left more than 300 people dead before troops pulled out of the city. Russia's Defense Ministry has denied the claims, calling them a "provocation," despite photographs and video showing damaged city streets strewn with dead bodies.
Meanwhile, in southern Ukraine, heavy fighting has continued in the besieged port city of Mariupol, according to Britain's defense ministry. It said as efforts to evacuate residents from the besieged city were set to continue Monday.
British foreign secretary to visit Poland, call for tougher sanctions on Russia
British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss will visit Poland on Monday to call for tougher sanctions on Russia, her office said, as major western countries work together to ramp up the pressure on President Vladimir Putin and end the conflict in Ukraine.
"Putin is yet to show he is serious about diplomacy. A tough approach from the UK and our allies is vital to strengthen Ukraine's hand in negotiations," Truss said.
"Britain has helped lead the way with sanctions to cripple the Putin war machine. We will do more to ramp up the pressure on Russia and we will keep pushing others to do more."
Truss is due to meet Ukrainian foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba in Poland's capital Warsaw later today and her Polish counterpart Zbigniew Rau on Tuesday.
Britain, a former European Union member, has coordinated with international allies to impose sanctions on key Russian industries and Moscow's wealthy elites with the aim of crippling its economy in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Russia's chief investigator orders probe into Ukraine's Bucha claims
Russia's chief investigator ordered an official probe into Ukraine's accusations of Russian forces killing hundreds of civilians in the town of Bucha, near Kyiv.
In a statement Monday, Russia's Investigative Committee said it was looking into Ukraine's claims, as well as images shared by Ukrainian officials that it said aimed to "discredit the Russian military personnel."
Russia has rejected the claim that its forces killed civilians in Bucha, despite photos and video appearing to show dead bodies on city streets as its troops pulled out of Bucha and other cities near Kyiv. It has branded Ukraine's claims a "provocation." NBC News has not been able to independently verify the photos.
Dmitry Polyanskiy, Russia's deputy ambassador to the United Nations said in a tweet Sunday that Russia would also be requesting a meeting of the U.N.'s security council over what he called a "heinous provocation."
Families arrive at the main train station as they flee the eastern city of Kramatorsk, in the Donbas region of Ukraine on Sunday.
Poland calls for commission to investigate Russian 'genocide'
Poland is calling for the creation of a specialist commission to investigate what it called "the crime of genocide" after reports emerged of alleged atrocities in recent days, including the killing of civilians.
"Bucha, Irpin, Hostomel and Motyzhyn are the places we will remember. The Russians committed the crime of genocide. It must be properly documented and judged, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said in a speech Monday, referring to Russia as "a totalitarian, fascist state."
Morawiecki, whose government has repeatedly clashed with the European Union over Poland's legal reforms, called on E.U. leaders to "act decisively and implement actions that will finally break Putin's war machine."
7 dead, 34 injured in Kharkiv shelling, officials say
Seven people were killed and at least 34 injured, including three children, in renewed shelling of Kharkiv on Sunday, Ukrainian officials said.
Ukraine's prosecutor general's office said in a Telegram post Monday that an investigation was underway following the attack, which it said unfolded at around 6 p.m. local time (11 a.m. ET) Sunday.
According to the office, Russian forces fired on residential buildings in the Slobidsky district of Kharkiv. NBC News was unable to independently verify the claim.
Humanitarian corridor expected to open in Mariupol
A humanitarian corridor from the besieged port city of Mariupol to Zaporizhzhia is expected to be open on Monday, Ukraine's Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk has said.
In a video address shared on Telegram Monday, Vereshchuk said the corridor would be designated for private vehicles. She said 15 buses destined for Mariupol had already left Zaporizhzhia as well.
Meanwhile evacuation efforts continue in the Luhansk region, she said, including from the cities of Sievierodonetsk, Lysychansk, Popasna, Nyzhne and Rubizhne.
Russian forces 'reorganize' as offensive shifts to Donbas region, U.K. says
Russian forces continue to “consolidate and reorganize” as they refocus their offensive on the Donbas region in the east of Ukraine, Britain's defense ministry has said.
The defense ministry said Russia has been moving troops, along with “mercenaries from the Russian state-linked Wagner private military company,” into the area in its latest intelligence update.
In an earlier update, it said heavy fighting continued to take place in the besieged port city of Mariupol.
It said the city continued to be subject to "intense, indiscriminate strikes," but said Ukrainian forces have maintained a "staunch resistance, retaining control in central areas."
Ukraine prosecutor-general says 410 civilian bodies found near Kyiv
KYIV, Ukraine —Ukraine’s prosecutor-general says the bodies of 410 civilians have been removed from Kyiv-area towns that were recently retaken from Russian forces.
Iryna Venediktova, Ukraine’s prosecutor-general, says on Facebook that the bodies were removed on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. She says 140 of them have undergone examination by prosecutors and other specialists.
Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk says Sunday that the mayor of the village of Motyzhyn, in the Kyiv region, was murdered while being held by Russian forces. Vereshchuk added that there are 11 mayors and community heads in Russian captivity across Ukraine.
In a video address on Sunday, Ukranian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy denounced the allegedly targeted killings of civilians in towns the Russians occupied and called them “freaks who do not know how to do otherwise.” He warned that more atrocities may be revealed if Russian forces are driven out of other occupied areas.
International leaders have condemned the reported attacks on the Kyiv-area towns after harrowing accounts from civilians and graphic images of bodies with hands tied behind their backs.
Zelenskyy has said the Russian attacks in Ukraine amount to genocide. Russia’s Defense Ministry has rejected the claims of atrocities against civilians in Bucha and other suburbs of Kyiv.
