(Reuters) – A prominent human rights monitor said Wednesday that it has documented additional cases of Russian soldiers committing war crimes in Ukraine’s two most populous regions.

Human Rights Watch (HRW), stated in a report, that Russian forces having dominated large parts of the Kyiv/Chernihiv region from late February through March were subject to civilian summary executions, torture, and other severe abuses.

HRW reported that there were 22 executions in summary, 9 other illegal killings, 6 enforced disappearances, 7 cases of torture, and nine more. It stated that 21 civilians had reported to HRW of unlawful confinement under inhumane and degrading conditions. HRW demanded that the allegations of abuses be investigated thoroughly and properly prosecuted.

Dmitry Peskov, a Kremlin spokesman, and Russia’s defense ministry didn’t immediately reply to Reuters inquiries about the HRW report. Russia denies targeting civilians and its involvement in war crimes, while accusing Ukraine of staging atrocities for the purpose of smearing its troops.

Peskov said to Reuters that he did not believe it was possible or acceptable for such allegations against Russian forces fighting in Ukraine.

He stated that many of the cases Ukraine refers to are fakes and some are even staged. This was convincingly proven by experts.

HRW claimed that they visited 17 villages and small cities in Kyiv/Chernihiv areas and interrogated 65 people from April 10 through May 10, which included ex-detainees who stated they survived torture and families of victims, as well other witnesses.

Reuters could not verify the HRW evidence immediately.

This report was more than the April statement by HRW in which it stated that “several Russian military forces have committed laws-of war violations” in Russian-controlled areas such as Chernihiv.

Russia refers to its actions against Ukraine as “special military operations” that aims at weakening Russia’s southern neighbor and capture what it views as dangerous nationalists.

On Wednesday, a Kyiv court began the first trial for war crimes against a Russian soldier accused of taking part in Moscow’s February 24th invasion. According to him, the soldier is guilty of murdering a civil aged 62 years old.

Ukraine states that it has identified more then 10,000 potential war crimes.