BERLIN, April 3, 2022 (AFP) – Germany demanded Sunday that light be shed on “crimes committed by the Russian army” in the Ukrainian town of Bucha, where mass graves have been discovered, and urged tougher sanctions against Russia.

“We must shed light on these crimes committed by the Russian army,” Chancellor Olaf Scholz said in a statement. The perpetrators must be held accountable and international organisations granted access to the region to “document these atrocities”, he added.

A local official in Bucha said Sunday that 57 bodies had been found in one grave, showing the site to AFP. Ukrainian officials said Saturday that the bodies of nearly 300 civilians had been found in mass graves after Russian troops withdrew.

The German leader condemned the “terrible and horrible images” in Bucha. “Streets strewn with bodies. Bodies buried summarily. We’re talking about women, children and elderly among the victims,” he added.

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock also called the images “unbearable” and wrote on Twitter that Russian President Vladimir “Putin’s frantic violence is wiping out innocent families and knows no bounds”.

“We will strengthen the sanctions against Russia and further support the defence of Ukraine,” the minister said.

“This terrible war crime cannot go unanswered,” Robert Habeck, vice chancellor and economy minister, told German newspaper Bild.

“I think that a strengthening of sanctions is called for. That’s what we are preparing with our EU partners,” Habeck added.

Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba called Bucha a “deliberate massacre” and urged G7 countries to impose “devastating” sanctions immediately.

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