(Reuters) – Russia on Sunday denied Ukrainian allegations that it had killed civilians within the Ukrainian city of Bucha, describing footage and images of useless our bodies as a “provocation” and a “staged efficiency” by Kyiv.

Ukraine has accused the Russian army of massacring residents of Bucha, a city northwest of the capital Kyiv, an space Ukrainian troops mentioned they recaptured on Saturday.

“All of the images and movies printed by the Kyiv regime, allegedly testifying to the ‘crimes’ of Russian servicemen within the metropolis of Bucha, Kyiv area, are one other provocation,” Russia’s defence ministry mentioned in a press release.

It referred to as the footage “one other staged efficiency by the Kyiv regime for the Western media.”

Photographs of useless civilians strewn throughout the city prompted Western international locations to name for these chargeable for struggle crimes in Ukraine to be punished.

The Russian defence ministry mentioned that every one Russian army items had left Bucha on March 30, and that civilians had been free to maneuver across the city or evacuate whereas it was beneath Russian management.

“In the course of the time that Russian armed forces have been accountable for this settlement, not a single native resident suffered from any violent actions,” it mentioned.

Moscow has beforehand denied allegations that it has focused civilians, and has rejected accusations of struggle crimes.

Russia despatched tens of 1000’s of troops into Ukraine on Feb. 24 in what it referred to as a particular operation to degrade its southern neighbour’s army capabilities and root out folks it referred to as harmful nationalists.

Ukrainian forces have mounted stiff resistance and the West has imposed sweeping sanctions on Russia in an effort to power it to withdraw its forces.