Evidence of Russian crimes found in Kharkiv region - police

Following the recapture of large areas of eastern Ukraine's Kharkiv region from occupying Russian forces in recent days, the Ukrainian authorities have said they have uncovered evidence of crimes committed by Russian troops.

Serhiy Bolvinov, a senior Ukrainian police officer from the city of Balakliya, said that Russian forces there had regularly tortured prisoners in the local police station, putting the number of people, who were incarcerated during the months-long occupation, at around 40.

"The occupiers took those who served in the military or had relatives there, and also searched for those who helped the army," Bolvinov wrote on Facebook on Tuesday.

According to witnesses, electricity was used to torture prisoners, as yet unverified reports from elsewhere in the region claim that the Russian military also murdered people.

Hundreds of dead civilians were discovered after Russian troops withdrew from the area around Kyiv in the spring. Despite overwhelming evidence, Moscow denied that the killings were the work of Russian soldiers and claimed that Ukraine had staged the atrocities.