Day 47 of the Invasion of Ukraine: More than 1,200 bodies found near Kyiv, Diplomatic efforts continue

Ukrainian officials say they have found more than 1,200 bodies in the Kyiv area, where atrocities were allegedly committed during the Russian occupation last month as residents of the eastern part of the country prepare - or flee - before the expected massive offensive.

Over the weekend, Ukraine came under heavy bombardment, which increased the death toll six weeks after the Russian invasion.

A shelling killed two people in northeastern Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, on Sunday morning, District Governor Oleg Sinegubov said, a day after authorities said 10 civilians, including a child, were killed in a bombing southeast of the city.

"The Russian army continues to wage war against the civilian population due to the lack of victories at the front," Sinegubov posted on Telegram.

Volodymyr Zelensky again condemned the atrocities against civilians and, after talks with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, said he had agreed "that all perpetrators of war crimes should be identified and punished".

Ukraine's chief prosecutor, Irina Venediktov, says the country is investigating the alleged guilt of 500 senior Russian officials, including President Vladimir Putin, for thousands of war crimes.

And White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan has vowed that the United States will "work with the international community to make sure there are those responsible" for what he called "mass atrocities."

In the Vatican, Pope Francis called for an Easter ceasefire to pave the way for peace, condemning a war in which "defenseless civilians" are subjected to "disgusting massacres and cruelty."

The death toll...