Amnesty says evidence shows Russian troops committed war crimes near Kyiv

Oleksiy Sokolyuk, 50, talks on the phone as he stands inside his house, that according to him was destroyed by shelling, the first on March 5, and the second on March 17, amid Russian invasion of Ukraine, in Irpin, outside Kyiv, Ukraine May 4, 2022. REUTERS/Zohra Bensemra

KYIV, Ukraine (Reuters) -Amnesty International said on Friday there was compelling evidence that Russian troops had committed war crimes, including extrajudicial executions of civilians, when they occupied an area outside Ukraine's capital in February and March.

Civilians also suffered abuses such as "reckless shootings and torture" at the hands of Russian forces during their failed onslaught on Kyiv in the early stages of the invasion launched by the Kremlin on Feb. 24, the rights group said in a report.