Anthony Albanese visits war-torn Ukraine on the heels of the NATO summit to survey the horrific damage caused by Russian forces

Following the NATO summit, Anthony Albanese travelled to the war-torn Ukraine to observe the terrible damage brought about by Russian forces.

Australian and Ukrainian security teams closely followed the Prime Minister as he was escorted through Bucha, Irpin, and Hostomel, which are located northwest of Kiev.

Numerous bloody massacres of innocent civilians as well as systematic rapes are among the numerous war crimes that Russian soldiers are alleged to have committed in the region.

Oleksiy Kuleba, the governor of Kiev, posted on Facebook on Sunday night that Mr. Albanese was shocked by the destruction he had seen.

‘He was shocked by what he saw: destroyed civilian houses, traces of mines, destroyed Antonov airport,’ Mr Kuleba wrote.

He added that the Prime Minister said Australia ‘supports Ukraine and advocates fair punishment for the crimes that have taken place here’.

Mr Kuleba said he was ‘grateful to the (Australian) delegation for their personal visit to the Kyiv region.

‘The war in Ukraine, in the centre of Europe, must remain in the world agenda.’

On Sunday, Mr. Albanese stopped in Ukraine en route from Paris to his home.

Vasyl Myroshnychenko, the Ukrainian ambassador to Australia, had invited Mr. Albanese to travel to Kyiv, the capital of the country, in June.

Australia denounced Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and committed $285 million in military aid, including Bushmaster and armoured personnel carriers.

Speaking last week at the largest NATO summit ever held in Madrid in front of world leaders, Mr. Albanese described the invasion of February as “brutal, illegal, and unjustified.”

He claimed that the West’s united front against Russia and the aftermath of the conflict served as a warning to China about the consequences of its rising assertiveness in the Pacific.

Mr. Albanese said Australia would look to re-establish a diplomatic presence in Ukraine during his trip to Europe.

Since the Ukraine crisis started, employees of the Australian embassy have been working from Poland, a neighbouring country.

For the duration of Mr. Albanese’s visit to Ukraine, the media was completely blacked out on the advice of the Australian Defense Force.

Despite the fact that he had mentioned that he had been invited several times in the previous week, he remained silent when asked if he would be able to travel there or not.

Foreign media and the governor of Kyiv confirmed the visit, despite instructions not to report it until the Prime Minister returned to Poland.

Since the invasion started on February 24 the airspace over Ukraine has been closed, and due to intense fighting most of the roads into Kiev are impassable.

Numerous people were killed by missiles on Sunday as Russian troops continued to attack the city of Lysychansk in the east.

The president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, stated before Mr. Albanese’s visit that the nation “requires colossal investments – billions, new technologies, best practices, new institutions and, of course, reforms.”

‘The war is not over,’ he said. ‘Unfortunately, its cruelty is only increasing in some places, and it cannot be forgotten.’

Mr Albanese is expected back in Australia on Tuesday.