The Russian Defence Ministry has blasted the footage of a “massacre” in the Ukrainian city of Bucha as a “production” staged by Kiev for the Western media, categorically denying accusations of Russia being behind the civilian killings in the city.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has called the situation around the Ukrainian city of Bucha a “yet another fake attack” that Ukraine attempts to use against Russia.
“We requested an urgent meeting of the Security Council on this specific issue because we see such provocations as a direct threat to international peace and security,” Lavrov said during a meeting with Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Martin Griffiths.
According to the top Russian diplomat, the horrifying scenes in Bucha were staged after Russian troops left the city, with the Ukrainian authorities, induced by their “Western patrons,” promoting “fake videos” from Bucha via social media.
“Russian servicemen left this city on 30 March, on 31 March the mayor of the city solemnly said that everything was in order, and two days later we saw how that very performance was organized on the streets, which they are now trying to use for anti-Russian purposes,” Lavrov claimed.
➨ sputniknews.com/20220404/lavrov-situation-in-bucha-is-fake-attack-1094461483.html
Biden Says Putin Should Face War Crimes Trial for Bucha Massacre
Biden on Monday (April 4) called for a war crimes trial against Putin and said he’d seek more sanctions after reported atrocities in Ukraine.
“You saw what happened in Bucha,” Biden said. He added that Putin “is a war criminal”
Biden’s comments to reporters came after Zelensky vsited Bucha, one of the towns surrounding Kyiv where Ukrainian officials say hundreds of civilian bodies have been found.
Zelensky called the Russian actions “genocide” and called for the West to apply tougher sanctions against Russia.
➨ apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-crimes-biden-putin-84767d1c3c35a7a36f2f70ceaccc3fa0
Russia Again Asks U.N. Security Council to Meet on Monday Over Bucha Massacre
Russia’s foreign ministry said it would reiterate its request for the U.N. Security Council to meet on Monday (April 4) over what Moscow called the “criminal provocations by Ukrainian soldiers and radicals” in the town of Bucha near Kyiv.
Britain’s mission to the United Nations, which holds the presidency of the 15-member council for April, had said the Council would hold a scheduled discussion on Ukraine on Tuesday (April 5), and not meet on Monday as requested by Russia.
“Today Russia will again demand that the U.N. Security Council convene in connection with the criminal provocations of Ukrainian servicemen and radicals in this city,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova wrote on her Telegram channel.
Ukrainian authorities said on Sunday (April 3) they were investigating possible war crimes by Russia after finding hundreds of bodies strewn around towns outside the capital Kyiv following Russian troops’ withdrawal from the area.
➨ reuters.com/world/europe/russia-ask-un-security-council-again-discuss-bucha-provocations-2022-04-04
Finance Minister of Israel Refuses to Condemn Russia Over Bucha Massacre, Citing “Mutual Accusations”
Finance Minister Avigdor Liberman refused to outright condemn alleged Russian atrocities in Bucha and other cities surrounding Kyiv, stating on Monday (April 4) that Israel must uphold both its values and its own interests amid the ongoing war.
Ukrainian officials said Sunday (April 3) that the bodies of more than 400 civilians were found in towns around the capital, Kyiv, that were recaptured from Russian forces, calling the killings evidence of genocide.
“There are difficult images, and we all condemn all war crimes,” Liberman told Army Radio on Monday morning, adding, however, that “this is about mutual accusations.”
Liberman, a native of Moldova, noted that Russia has called for a UN Security Council meeting over the situation in Bucha and has accused “Ukrainian radicals” of a “blatant provocation” in the city outside Kyiv.
“Russia is blaming Ukraine and Ukraine is blaming Russia,” he said. “We condemn, but really what we need to understand is that there is a bloody war and we must, on the one hand, maintain Israel’s moral position and on the other hand preserve the interests of the State of Israel.”
➨ timesofisrael.com/liberman-refuses-to-condemn-russia-over-bucha-citing-mutual-accusations
