KYIV, June 13 — Another seven bodies, several with their hands and legs tied, were found in a grave near Bucha, a town near Kyiv synonymous with war crimes allegations, the regional police said today.

"Seven civilians were tortured by the Russians then executed in a cowardly manner with a bullet to the head,” Kyiv regional police chief Andriy Nebytov said on Facebook, saying "several victims had their hands tied and knees bound”.

"This grave was discovered today in an area where Russian troops were stationed near the village of Myrotske” which lies some 10 kilometres north-west of Bucha, he said.

He said police were "working to identify the victims”.

Bucha hit the global headlines in early April when dozens of bodies in civilian clothing were found there, some with their hands tied, after Russian troops pulled out of the area following a month-long occupation.

Since then, more and more corpses have been discovered in and around the area, which has become synonymous with allegations of Russian war crimes.

Moscow has repeatedly rejected such claims, insisting they were "falsifications” orchestrated by Kyiv with the support of the West.

At the end of April, the bodies of another three men with their hands bound, bearing signs of torture who had been shot dead, were found in a grave in Myrotske, police said. — AFP