Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has accused Russia of committing war crimes in Bucha after dozens of bodies were found on the streets of the city after Russian troops withdrew from the area.

Zelensky visited the city on the outskirts of Kiev, wearing a bulletproof vest and being escorted by military personnel.

He said such scenes had made it more difficult for Ukraine to sit down at the negotiating table with Russia, adding that negotiations should end the unprovoked war that Moscow launched on February 24.

“Every day, when our fighters enter and retake territories, you see what happened,” he said.

“These are war crimes and the world should recognize them as genocide,” Zelensky said, adding that he expects similar crimes to be found in other occupied regions as Russian troops leave the area.

Published photos and videos have shown dozens of bodies of civilians killed, some of them with their hands tied behind their backs. These images have shocked the world and added to calls for new sanctions against Russia and for the perpetrators to be prosecuted.

The Kremlin has denied that Russian troops – who occupied the territory for weeks before withdrawing last week – were responsible for the killings in Bucha.