Russians intercepted ‘casually discussing’ killing of civilians

German spies are said to have intercepted radio transmissions from Russian soldiers discussing indiscriminate killing of civilians in the Ukrainian town of Bucha.

According to the German news magazine Der Spiegel, the Bundesnachrichtendienst (BND) foreign intelligence service heard the killings of civilians being discussed “as if they were talking about banal everyday tasks”.

The report comes before a meeting of the United Nations in which western allies are expected to seek Russia’s expulsion over the atrocities in Bucha, on the outskirts of Kyiv. Last weekend The Times visited the town, where scores of civilians were shot dead in the head and chest as Russian troops retreated. President Zelensky has described the killings as genocide and the worst war crimes since the Second World War.

In other key developments:

• Ukraine’s deputy prime minister, Iryna Vereshchuk, urged people in the Kharkiv, Lugansk and Donetsk regions to leave immediately.
• Zelensky said that Russian forces were trying to clear up the evidence of war crimes in areas still under their control.
• Liz Truss, the foreign secretary, told Nato ministers that the era of engagement with Russia over European security was over.

Today the G7’s foreign ministers condemned “in the strongest terms” the actions of Russian troops in Bucha and other Ukrainian towns. In a joint statement they said: “Haunting images of civilian deaths, victims of torture and apparent executions, as well as reports of sexual violence and destruction of civilian infrastructure show the true face of Russia’s brutal war of aggression against Ukraine and its people.

“The massacres in the town of Bucha and other Ukrainian towns will be inscribed in the list of atrocities and severe violations of international law, including international humanitarian law and human rights, committed by the aggressor on Ukrainian soil.”

Boris Johnson has described Russia’s actions in Ukraine as the “systematic slaughter of innocent people” but stopped short of calling it genocide.

According to Der Spiegel, a man believed to be a Russian soldier said in a radio message: “You question soldiers first, then you shoot them.” Another described shooting a civilian off his bicycle, echoing a photograph of a dead man next to a bicycle that drew international condemnation.

The findings undermine claims by Russia that atrocities are being carried out only after its soldiers leave occupied areas.

The images from Bucha have prompted calls for tougher sanctions against Moscow and a war crimes prosecution. The Washington Post reported that the radio messages were likely to provide greater insight into suspected atrocities in other towns north of Kyiv that had been held by Russian soldiers.

The BND declined to comment. Yesterday a government spokesman said there were “credible indications” that Russian forces in Bucha were interrogating prisoners “who were subsequently executed”.

The BND is said to have found that Kremlin-linked mercenaries fighting with the Wagner Group played a leading role in the atrocities. Der Spiegel asserted that the Russian units in Bucha were initially made up of “young soldiers” and that once they were replaced by other units the attacks on civilians grew more frequent.

Sources in Germany said the “material suggests that the troops spoke of the atrocities as though they were simply discussing their everyday lives”. Officials reportedly said that this “indicates that the murder of civilians has become a standard element of Russian military activity, potentially even part of a broader strategy”.

Wladimir Klitschko, the former heavyweight boxer and brother of Kyiv’s mayor Vitaly, said he had seen “many dead civilians” who had been “tortured and executed” in Bucha. “I never thought other humans could do that to someone who was not showing any resistance,” he told BBC Radio 5 Live.

 “If you are remaining passive and you’re just observing what’s going on, you’re part of this aggression, you’re supporting this aggression,” he added. “Blood of the civilians is on your hands. If you’re passively observing, you need to take an active part.”

The Kremlin insists the deaths in Bucha were staged and a “monstrous forgery”. Russia’s ambassador to France was summoned to the foreign ministry in Paris after his embassy tweeted a picture claiming to be a film set in Bucha.

The tweet, which has since been deleted, appeared to show people preparing to shoot a film, with the words “Film set, Bucha town” written above the image. It is the third time in as many weeks that Paris has called in the envoy. The embassy previously posted a picture depicting a body lying on a table called “Europe” with characters representing the United States and European Union jabbing needles into it.

Jean-Yves Le Drian, the French foreign minister, said: “In the face of the indecency and provocation of the communication of the Russian embassy in France on the acts perpetrated in Bucha, I have decided to summon ... the ambassador of Russia.”

Earlier Zelensky pleaded for “really painful” sanctions on Moscow as Ukrainians in the eastern Donbas region were urged to flee from “a new bloody wave” of imminent Russian assaults.

About 24,000 Russian troops have withdrawn completely from Kyiv and Chernihiv, according to the United States defence department, giving Ukrainian troops respite before a new effort by President Putin to take over the Russian-speaking eastern region.

However, the Ukrainian military reports that Russian forces are regrouping and carrying out reconnaissance for a renewed offensive in Donbas, including against the cities of Kharkiv and Mariupol.