Scholz demands investigation of Russia's Bucha 'atrocities'

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has accused the Russian military of committing atrocities in Ukraine and called for a thorough investigation, reported dpa.

"I demand that international organizations such as the International Committee of the Red Cross be given access to these areas in order to independently document the atrocities," Scholz said in Berlin on Sunday.

"We must relentlessly investigate the crimes committed by the Russian military." Those who committed the crimes as well as those who ordered them must be held accountable, he said, though he refrained from using the term "war crimes" in his statement.

The German chancellor was referring to atrocities discovered following the withdrawal of Russian troops from the suburban community of Bucha near Kiev. "Terrible and horrifying footage reached us from Ukraine this weekend," the chancellor said.

Dozens of civilians had been discovered shot dead in Bucha, he said, an area controlled by the Russian military until a few days ago. "Streets littered with bodies. Bodies buried in a makeshift manner. Women, children and the elderly are reportedly among the victims."

Scholz repeatedly called on Russia to "finally agree to a ceasefire and stop the fighting."