The US balancing act in providing substantial military aid to Kiev without provoking nuclear-armed Moscow into a dangerous reaction has grown far more difficult as allegations mount of abuses and atrocities by Russian troops.

Since the Russian invasion on February 24, the United States has provided Ukraine with a flood of light arms, like the shoulder-fired Javelin anti-tank missiles that have become a symbol of Ukrainian resistance.

But it has also refused to provide heavy weaponry like combat aircraft which could be seen as escalating the conflict and increasing the risk of a nuclear confrontation with Russia -- a prospect US President Joe Biden has likened to a potential "World War Three."

American officials justifying the limited range of weapons point out that the Ukrainians are not trained to use many US technologies.

Instead they have urged former Soviet-bloc countries to send more familiar Russian-made weaponry to Ukraine.

But as haunting reports emerge of alleged war crimes by a frustrated Russian army, the Pentagon has come under growing pressure from both Republican and Democratic lawmakers to do more to help Kyiv repel the invaders.

"It seems to me that often our strategy seems to be somewhat schizophrenic -- we want the Ukrainians to defeat Russia, but we're afraid that pushing Putin into defeat may provoke escalation," said Senator Richard Blumenthal, an influential Democrat, during a hearing with top Pentagon officials.

And Republican senator Kevin Cramer, questioning why the Pentagon failed to back a Polish proposal to provide MiG-29 combat jets to Kiev, asked, "Do you have any evidence Vladimir Putin has ever worried that his massacre of women and children civilians would be escalatory?"

- Training and logistics -

Outside a NATO-enforced closure of Ukrainian airspace, raising the risk of direct confrontation with Russian planes, the Pentagon's options are limited.

Heavy US weaponry is not compatible with that used by the Ukrainian army, and training Ukrainian troops in their use would take them off the battlefield for weeks just as Moscow is planning a major assault in the southeastern Donbas region.

US Abrams tanks, for example, have turbo engines that consume huge amounts of fuel, requiring enormous logistics support, and their laser-guided targeting systems require extensive training, Pentagon officials say.

Similarly, the A-10 "Warthog" combat aircraft, mentioned by Blumenthal as a possible major addition to US military aid to Ukraine, is known for its reliability and durability.

But pilots would require weeks of training, and an entire logistical chain would be needed to maintain the aircraft.

In response to the criticism, the White House has published an exhaustive list of the military material furnished so far to Ukraine.

It includes: 1,400 Stinger anti-aircraft systems, 5,000 Javelin anti-tank missiles, 7,000 anti-tank weapons of other models, several hundred Switchblade drones, 7,000 assault rifles, 50 million rounds of various ammunition, 45,000 sets of bullet-proof vests and helmets, laser-guided rockets, Puma drones, anti-artillery and anti-drone radars, light armored vehicles, secure communication systems and anti-mine systems.

On Friday, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby angrily rebuffed the criticism, saying, "We just fundamentally bristle at the notion that we're not doing enough."

Biden has released $2.4 billion in military aid to Kiev, "which is almost as much as Ukraine's defense budget," the spokesman said.

Pointing out that the US had also increased its military manpower in Europe from 80,000 to 100,000 and had sent a Patriot air defense battery to Slovakia to compensate for its having sent a Russian-made S-300 system to Kiev, Kirby described the effort as "unprecedented."

"No other country can do that," in terms of logistics and supplies, he said.

"At the same time," he added, "we are mindful that Russia is a nuclear power."

Ukraine begins excavation of Bucha mass grave
Bucha, Ukraine (AFP) April 8, 2022 - Ukrainian investigators began to exhume a mass grave in Bucha on Friday, opening the early stages of what police say will be a war crimes case targeting Russian troops who occupied the Kyiv commuter town.

The grave -- a long deep trench in the mud behind a gold-domed church -- was used by Ukrainians to bury neighbours they claim were killed at the hands of Russian armed forces which arrived on February 26.

On Friday, crews wearing white forensic overalls were using a flatbed lorry fixed with a mechanical crane to remove corpses from the ditch.

The bodies were laid out on the ground and inspected by teams, including police officers poring over paperwork.

Most of the remains outside the grave, cordoned off by tape, were zipped inside black plastic body bags.

One man at work was wearing a gilet marked with the words "war crimes prosecutor".

Kyiv regional police chief Andriy Niebitov said there were 40 bodies in the grave, including two members of Ukraine's military forces.

He said bodies bore gunshot wounds, buttressing claims they were explicitly targeted by soldiers rather than collateral damage from air strikes and artillery fire.

"I can define these events as a war crime," he said. "International law defines killing of civilians during any kind of military conflict as a war crime."

"These bodies will be extracted for the court investigation, they will be delivered to undergo forensic medical examination and an autopsy."

The town of Bucha has become the growing focus of allegations of war criminality against troops ordered to invade Ukraine by President Vladimir Putin on 24 February.

On Saturday an AFP team discovered 20 dead bodies on a single street in the town, home to around 37,000 before the war.

Ukraine says Russian troops executed civilians.

The Kremlin has denied any hand in the killings and denounced photographs depicting the scene as fakery.

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Johnson says Putin reputation 'permanently polluted' after Bucha killings
Kyiv, Ukraine (AFP) April 9, 2022
The discovery of civilian bodies in Ukrainian towns has "permanently polluted" Russian President Vladimir Putin's reputation, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said during a visit to Kyiv Saturday. "What Putin has done in places like Bucha and Irpin is war crimes that have permanently polluted his reputation and the reputation of his government," Johnson said, standing next to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Johnson became the latest European leader to visit Kyiv this weekend after the bod ... read more