- Ukrainians accuse Russia of atrocities in the Kyiv region
- Russia rejects allegations, demands UN meeting
- Federal Minister: EU must discuss Russian gas import ban
- Ukrainian and European officials are calling for a war crimes investigation
- Ukraine says Russia is calling in 60,000 reservists
BUCHA, Ukraine, April 4 – Global outrage swept over civilian deaths in Ukraine on Monday, including evidence of handcuffed bodies shot at point-blank range and a mass grave found in areas retaken by Russian forces as artillery bombed the south and east of the country.
Taras Shapravskyi, deputy mayor of Bucha, a town about 40 km (25 miles) northwest of Kyiv, said 50 of the about 300 bodies found after Kremlin forces withdrew late last week were victims of extrajudicial killings by Russian troops been . Continue reading
Reuters reporters saw a man sprawled by the side of the road with his hands tied behind his back and a gunshot wound to the head, although Reuters could not independently confirm these figures or who was responsible for the killings. Continue reading
Ukrainian authorities investigated possible war crimes. Moscow said the killings were “staged” to sully Russia’s name.
Images of the destruction and apparent killing of civilians elicited shock and condemnation and seemed to persuade the United States and Europe to impose new sanctions on Moscow, but it was not clear how quickly a new package could be put in place or if it would include Russian energy exports.
The atrocities were also expected to overshadow peace talks between Russia and Ukraine, which are due to resume Monday via video link.
Asked if Russian President Vladimir Putin would be held accountable for the killings of civilians, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said others were also to blame.
“I think all military commanders, everyone who gave instructions and orders, should be punished,” he told CBS’s Face the Nation news program.
SANCTIONS AGAINST RUSSIAN GAS?
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken described the images as “a punch in the stomach” while UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for an independent investigation.
“Putin and his supporters will feel the consequences,” said Chancellor Olaf Scholz, adding that the western allies would agree on further sanctions in the coming days.
German Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht said the European Union must discuss an import ban on Russian gas – a departure from Berlin’s previous opposition to the idea. Continue reading
French President Emmanuel Macron said there was very “clear evidence of war crimes” by Russian forces and that new sanctions were needed, and Japan said it was consulting with allies on the issue. Macron said new sanctions should include oil and coal.
The UN Security Council will deliberate on Ukraine on Tuesday rather than meet on Monday as Russia has requested, said Britain’s mission to the United Nations, which chairs the 15-member Council for April.
Russia had asked the Security Council to convene the Security Council on Monday to discuss “provocation by Ukrainian radicals” in Bucha after Kiev’s allegations.
A Ukrainian service member inspects an area of Antonov Airfield as Russia’s assault on Ukraine continues in the settlement of Hostomel in the Kyiv region, Ukraine April 3, 2022. REUTERS/Gleb Garanich
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Russia has previously denied attacking civilians and has denied allegations of war crimes as part of a “special military operation” aimed at demilitarizing and “denazifying” Ukraine. Ukraine says it was attacked without provocation.
Human Rights Watch said it had documented “several cases of violations of martial law by Russian forces” in Ukraine’s Chernihiv, Kharkiv and Kyiv regions. Continue reading
Ukraine’s foreign minister asked the International Criminal Court to collect evidence of Russian war crimes. The foreign ministers of France and Britain said their countries would support such an inquiry.
But legal experts say prosecuting Putin or other Russian leaders would face high hurdles and could take years. Continue reading
WAR IN THE SOUTH AND EAST
Across the country, Ukraine was preparing for about 60,000 Russian reservists, who its general staff said were being called up to reinforce the offensive there, while British military intelligence also said Russian troops, including mercenaries from the state-affiliated private military company Wagner, were moving there in the east .
Reuters could not independently confirm the claims.
About 50 people were killed in shelling in the eastern city of Kharkiv, local authorities said, while rockets fell near the southern port of Odessa on Sunday. Russia said it destroyed an oil refinery used by the Ukrainian military. The Odessa City Council said “critical infrastructure facilities” had been hit.
Serhiy Gaidai, the governor of East Luhansk region, said Russia is building forces to breach Ukraine’s defences.
“I urge residents to evacuate. The enemy will not stop, he will destroy everything in his path,” he said in comments on Ukrainian television.
Ukraine says it has evacuated thousands of civilians in recent days from the port city of Mariupol, which has been decimated by a siege and bombardment that has lasted for over a month, with only the skeletons of high-rise apartment buildings on some streets remaining after the shelling, according to pictures from Reuters showed .
Reuters correspondents saw convoys of armored vehicles belonging to pro-Russian forces near Mariupol.
Ukraine evacuated more than 2,600 people from Mariupol and the Luhansk region on Sunday, Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said. Ukrainian officials are in talks with Russia to allow several Red Cross buses to enter Mariupol, she added.
The Red Cross abandoned earlier attempts for safety reasons. Russia blamed the charity for the delays. Continue reading
There was little sign of a breakthrough in efforts to negotiate an end to the war, although Russia’s chief negotiator Vladimir Medinsky said talks would resume Monday via video conference.
Additional reporting by Zohra Bensemra and Abdelaziz Boumzar in Bucha, Pavel Polityuk in Lviv, Issam Abdallah in Odessa, Natalia Zinets in Mukachevo, Lidia Kelly in Melbourne, Michelle Nichols at the UN and Reuters offices in Europe and Washington. Writing by Lincoln Feast and Frank Jack Daniel Editing by Michael Perry and John Stonestreet