Ukraine accuses Russia of civilian 'massacre'; Moscow denies it
BUCHA, Ukraine, April 3 (Reuters) - Ukraine on Sunday accused Russian forces of carrying out a "massacre" in the town of Bucha, while Western nations reacted to images of dead bodies there with calls for new sanctions against Moscow.
Russia's defence ministry denied the Ukrainian allegations, saying footage and photographs showing bodies in Bucha were "yet another provocation" by the Ukrainian government.
The images from the town, 37 km (23 miles) northwest of Kyiv's city centre, emerged after Ukraine said on Saturday its forces had reclaimed control of the whole Kyiv region and liberated towns from Russian troops.
They prompted outrage in Ukraine and abroad, adding to pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin by increasing the likelihood of further Western sanctions. Western nations have already sought to isolate Russia economically and punish it for the invasion, which began on Feb. 24.
"Bucha massacre was deliberate," Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said on Twitter.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken described the images as "a punch in the gut," while United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for an independent investigation.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said Russia must pay for "war crimes." British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said his government would step up sanctions, as well as military and humanitarian support for Ukraine.
"Putin and his supporters will feel the consequences," said German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, adding that Western allies would agree on further sanctions in the coming days.
Germany's defence minister Christine Lambrecht said the European Union must discuss banning the import of Russian gas - a departure from Berlin's prior resistance to the idea of an embargo on Russian energy imports. read more
Russia requested that the U.N. Security Council convene on Monday to discuss what Moscow called a "provocation by Ukrainian radicals" in Bucha. read more
The defence ministry in Moscow described photos and videos from the town as a "staged performance."
Russia has previously denied targeting civilians and has rejected allegations of war crimes in what it calls a "special military operation" aimed at demilitarising and "denazifying" Ukraine. Ukraine says it was invaded without provocation.
On Saturday, Reuters saw bodies in a mass grave and still lying on the streets, while on Sunday the mayor of Bucha, Anatoliy Fedoruk, showed reporters two corpses with white cloth tied around their arms, one of which appeared to have been shot in the mouth. read more
Oleksiy Arestovych, an aide to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, said Ukrainian troops had found the bodies of women who had been raped and set alight as well as the bodies of local officials and children.
Bucha's mayor said 300 residents had been killed during a month-long occupation by the Russian army. read more
Reuters could not immediately verify the allegations by Arestovych and Fedoruk.
Ukraine's foreign minister called on the International Criminal Court to collect evidence of what he called Russian war crimes, while the foreign ministers of France and Britain said their countries would support any such probe.
However, legal experts say a prosecution of Putin or other Russian leaders would face high hurdles and could take years. read more
Human Rights Watch said it had documented "several cases of Russian military forces committing laws-of-war violations" in the Ukrainian regions of Chernihiv, Kharkiv and Kyiv. read more
Ukraine's Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova said prosecutors investigating possible war crimes by Russia had found 410 bodies in towns near Kyiv, of which 140 had been examined.
Of course, of course , Leftie Favs like Russia and the People's Republic of China are forevermore innocent as a new born babe..
ReplyDeleteOf course, of course , rightie Favs like yankee and the demoNcratic dickheads are forevermore innocent as a new born babe..
DeleteLet me see.... an intruder forced his way into someone else's house.
ReplyDeleteAs the intruder left, someone was found killed in the house.
You tell me....any reasonable person would demand that the intruder be brought to justice.
Of course the legal presumption of innocence applies....but the intruder as the principle suspect needs to face justice.
When the 'intruders' were in the house, the owner said nothing much happened! He even shown the world that how calm was within the household.
DeleteYet just when the 'intruders' have left, suddenly there were corpses all-over the house! & the owner said all were done by the 'intruders'!
Mfer, have u watched the gruelling pictures showing those corpses were wearing white band on their arms?
Quick, go & check what that meant.
Ukrainians, especially those Russian speaking, were fighting the nationalist Ukrainians together with the Russians. They worn white band on their arm for identification!
Many of them were cruelly executed, prior to the arriving of the Russian in Bucha.
The mayor of Bucha knows where they were buried. He us now turning the story to his advantages!
Have anyone of u noticed the now frequently appeared "could not immediately verify the allegations" in all the western MSM news?
ReplyDeleteThis phrase was hardly seen during the early days of the Ukraine crisis!
Wakakakakaka…
These western MSM know more than what they r willing to tell!
Their restrained or almost blank ground reportings in the Donbass r a good indicator of their selective biasness!
Most likely the massacres were the work of Chechens rather than Russian Federation troops.
ReplyDeleteHowever, these mercenaries were brought in by Russia, so Russia has to answer for their conduct.
Wakakakaka…
DeleteKnow nothing fart on parade AGAIN!
Go check the movements of the Chechen army within Ukraine before u fart!