Loyal Dog Refuses To Leave Dead Owner's Body In Kyiv; Heartbreaking Photo Surfaces

A heartbreaking photo showing a loyal dog refusing to leave the body of his owner, who was killed by the Russian invaders in Kyiv, Ukraine, has surfaced online.

The image, posted by eastern European media organization NEXTA on its official Twitter page, shows the poor animal lying next to the body of the civilian, thought to be its owner, who was apparently shot dead by the Russian forces.

The poignant scene is reminiscent of the tragic story of Hachiko, a Japanese Akita dog that waited for its owner at the Shibuya railway station in Tokyo, Japan, nine years after the man's sudden demise.

"The dog does not leave its owner, who was killed by the #Russian invaders. #Kyiv region," the post's description read.

The Russian forces have subjected Ukraine to indiscriminate bombings ever since the invasion began on Feb. 24. As the atrocities entered their sixth week, the tragic scenes of widespread destruction and dead bodies lining the streets of suburbs in Kyiv were widely broadcast by the global media.

Kyiv police told a visiting CNN team they believed at least 150 civilian bodies were buried in hastily dug mass graves, with the death toll suspected to be as high as 300. The outlet described the horrors of mass killings in Kyiv and how people were shot to death or crushed by tanks when attempting to flee the region on bicycles.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Russia of genocide after bodies with bound hands, close-range gunshot wounds and signs of torture were discovered in Bucha, the northwestern suburb of Kyiv. Moscow, however, denied committing atrocities in Bucha, calling the disturbing images "a staged performance" and saying that "not a single" civilian was killed in the area.

Russian forces are now reportedly regrouping in a bid to invade the eastern and southern regions of Ukraine after Kyiv and its suburbs were retaken by the Ukrainian army last week. Meanwhile, U.S. President Joe Biden has called for a war crimes trial against Russian president Vladimir Putin and more sanctions against his country following the fresh reports of atrocities.