Civilians were left for days to die under the rubble of a newly-liberated town close to Kyiv after horrifying Russian attacks, it has emerged.
Sickening pictures show buildings collapsed in Borodyanka, where President Volodymyr Zelensky said the situation was "more dreadful" than that uncovered in Bucha.
Vladimir Putin's forces face growing allegations of war crimes including murder, rape, torture and targeting civilians in areas formerly under their control.
Images show the horrifying scenes which met Ukrainian troops in Borodyanka after Russian invaders retreated, amid witness reports that people were left dying under buildings for a week.
So far Ukraine has said 26 bodies have been underneath two buildings, but more are expected to be found.
Ukraine's defence ministry shared a heartbreaking photo of a woman in front of a destroyed building, waiting for the bodies of her family to be pulled from the rubble.
It said many of those underneath the collapsed buildings were heard groaning for a week.
In an update on Twitter the ministry wrote: "A woman waits for her family to be unearthed from under the rubble.
"Occupiers did not allow local residents to dismantle houses they destroyed during the assault.
"According to local residents, judging by the groans, many of those buried alive were dying for a week."
Resident Vadym Zagrebelnyi told Reuters as he watched rescuers digging through the rubble of a collapsed building: "My mother, my brother, brother's wife, his mother and father-in-law, are still there, as well as other people who were there in the basement."
It comes days after Russian forces were accused of genocide after bodies were found lying in the streets in nearby Bucha and mass graves filled with dozens of bodies were discovered.
Russia has denied targeting civilians and claimed that the victims were killed after troops left - but satellite images clearly expose thi s as a lie.
The Ukrainian Parliament posted on Twitter : "The destruction in Borodyanka was considered even worse than in Irpen and Bucha. The world will soon learn about the atrocities of the occupiers there, but now only one thing is clear - the village in ruins.
"Of the 29 high-rise buildings, 21 were damaged, 8 of them were completely destroyed. Rescuers have been dismantling the debris for several days now, so the horrific finds will soon be known to everyone."
Mr Zelensky said in a video shared on Telegram: "The work to clear the rubble in Borodyanka has begun ... It's significantly more dreadful there. Even more victims from the Russian occupiers."
Ukraine's Prosecutor General has accused Russia of using cluster bombs and multiple rocket launchers to target civilians.
Iryna Venediktova posted on Facebook : "Just in the rubble of two apartment blocs, 26 bodies were recovered.
"Only the civilian population was targeted: there is no military site here."
She added that it was "impossible to predict" how many more bodies would be found in the town.
She added: "Evidence of the Russian forces' war crimes is at every turn.
"The enemy treacherously shelled residential infrastructure in the evenings, when there was a maximum amount of people home."
