Blinken: ‘Fist in the stomach’ images of dead civilians in the town of Buca – EU warns of new sanctions

LAST UPDATE: 22:45

“US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said in an interview with CNN today that the images of the large number of dead Ukrainians in the city of Bucha after the withdrawal of Russian troops” are a punch in the stomach “, as reported by Reuters.

“There must be accountability,” he said. “But I think the most important thing is that we can not numb it. We can not normalize it. This is the reality of what happens every day as Russia’s brutality against Ukraine continues.”

Blinken sidestepped the question of whether the United States believes Russian troops have committed genocide.

“We will look carefully and record everything we see, we will gather it to make sure that the relevant institutions and bodies are examining it, including the State Department,” he said.

He declined to confirm reports that the United States was facilitating the transfer of Soviet-era tanks to Ukrainian forces by Eastern European allies. He said, however, that members of the NATO alliance continue to supply weapons “in all areas”.

“There are or will be in Ukraine soon more than 10 anti-tank systems for every Russian tank,” he said.

The head of the American diplomacy estimated that it is too early to say with confidence that the withdrawal of Russian forces from Kyiv is a withdrawal or reorganization of Russian forces that can be resupplied and returned.

Blinken assessed that Russia has suffered a “strategic defeat” in Ukraine and added that the economic sanctions against Russia “have begun to have a great impact.”

US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken will travel to Brussels on April 5-7 for a meeting of NATO foreign ministers, according to the US State Department.

Ukraine is talking about 410 corpses of citizens in cities near Kyiv

Ukrainian prosecutors investigating possible war crimes by Russia have found 410 bodies in cities near Kyiv and 140 of them have been examined, Attorney General Iryna Venedyktova said today, according to Reuters.

“410 bodies of dead civilians have been removed from the liberated territory” around the capital and medical examiners have already examined 140 “, the prosecutor said, speaking on a show broadcast on several Ukrainian TV channels.

Venediktova hinted that there are undoubtedly many corpses that have not yet been found.

Prosecutors are searching for witnesses among locals and are gathering evidence, photos and videos.

In Butsa alone, about 300 people were buried in mass graves, according to Ukrainian authorities.

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko, who went to Bhutan today, said the exact number of victims was not yet known. “We believe more than 300 were killed,” he said.

Convictions from France, Germany and the EU – “Window” of new sanctions

The perpetrators of war crimes will be held accountable, stressed the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, in a tweet, expressing her disgust at “reports of untold horror in areas from which Russia is withdrawing.” “An independent inquiry is urgently needed,” he said.

For her part, the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsolawho visited Kyiv two days ago, spoke of “atrocities committed by the Russian army in Butsa and other liberated areas”.

“This is the cold reality of Putin’s war crimes,” Metsola said in a Twitter post. She noted that “people need to know what is going on. Stricter sanctions must be imposed” and the perpetrators brought to justice.

The French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian He said on Sunday that he strongly condemned the “mass violence” he called it committed by Russian forces in Ukraine in recent weeks.

Le Drian added in the same statement that such atrocities would constitute war crimes and that France would work with the Ukrainian authorities and the International Criminal Court (ICC) to bring those responsible to justice.

THE German Foreign Minister said today that Russia should pay for the “war crimes” it committed in the city of Butsa, just outside the Ukrainian capital, in the form of tougher sanctions condemning the “unprovoked violence” of Russian President Vladimir Putin .

THE European Union blamed Russian military forces for committing atrocities in the Kiev region today, following a statement by the mayor of the city of Bucha that 300 residents of the city were killed during the Russian occupation that lasted for a month.

“In shock of news of atrocities by Russian forces, the EU is helping Ukraine document war crimes,” the EU High Representative said in a Twitter post. Josep Borrelladding that all cases need to be investigated by the International Criminal Court.

“Further sanctions against Russia and EU support for Ukraine are on the way,” he said. Charles Michelposted on Twitter, at the same time stating that he was shocked by “the images of atrocities committed by the Russian army in the liberated area of ​​Kiev Buta”.

The Secretary General of NATO Jens Stoltenberg For his part, he denounced that “a atrocity, unprecedented for Europe for decades” was committed in Boutsa. “It is absolutely unacceptable for civilians to be targeted and killed, and that underscores how important it is to end this war,” he said.

The Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghiin a statement referred to the latest developments in the war in Ukraine and the location of mass graves.

The head of the Italian government, in more detail, underlined:

“The images of the crimes committed in the city of Butsa and in other areas liberated by the Ukrainian army leave us speechless. The barbarity of the mass killing of civilians is frightening and unacceptable. The Russian authorities must immediately stop the hostilities. “Italy must condemn these horrific events with absolute determination and stand in solidarity with Ukraine and its people.”

THE Spanish government expressed its disgust with the “unthinkable images” of the Ukrainian city of Bucharest and called for an “investigation into” war crimes.

“The unbearable images of Bhutan after the withdrawal of Russian forces cause us deep disgust. I send my solidarity to the victims of this barbarism,” Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Alvarez wrote on Twitter. “War crimes must be investigated promptly and those responsible must be punished,” he added.

The Prime Minister of Britain Boris Johnson described the “unacceptable attacks on civilians” in Bhutan and Irpin as “war crimes”, promising that London would step up sanctions against Russia and increase its military assistance to Ukraine.

“I will do everything in my power to starve (Russian President Vladimir Putin)’s war machine,” he said in a statement.

“We are stepping up our sanctions and military assistance, as well as humanitarian assistance to support those in need,” he added.

“Russia’s unacceptable attacks on innocent civilians in Irpin and Bhutan are further evidence that Putin and his army are committing war crimes in Ukraine,” he said.

THE Minister of Foreign Affairs of Poland He called on the international community today to assist Ukraine in investigating the Russian military operation in the area around Kyiv, as outcry intensified following the discovery of dozens of bodies in the city of Butsa.

“The liberation of the Kiev region reveals the barbaric atrocities committed by the Russian armed forces,” Zbignyu Rau said in a Twitter post. Rau is chairing the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe this year.

“I urge the OSCE member states and the international community to assist Ukraine in properly investigating these crimes,” he added.

The images coming from the Ukrainian city of Butsa and other areas evacuated by Russian President Vladimir Putin’s forces are “frightening,” she said. US Embassy in Ukraineby posting it on Twitter.

“The US government is committed to holding those responsible accountable using all available tools. We cannot remain silent, the people must learn what happened and we must all act,” she said in a statement.

Russia denies the allegations

Russia has denied Ukrainian allegations that it killed civilians in the Ukrainian city of Butcha, Reuters reported.

Russia’s Defense Ministry said in a statement that the footage and photos showing the bodies were “another challenge”.

The ministry added that all Russian military units had left the city by March 30.

Dmitry Polanski, the country’s first deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, called for a UN Security Council to be convened on Monday, citing “provocations by Ukrainian radicals” in the city of Butsa.

“In the light of the blatant provocation of Ukrainian radicals in Bhutan, Russia has called for the convening of the UN Security Council,” he told the Telegram.

Koulemba calls for “catastrophic” sanctions

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba is calling for new “catastrophic” sanctions against Russia for what he described as “deliberate” massacre of civilians in the city of Butsa by the Russian armed forces, according to Reuters.

Kuleba also called on the International Criminal Court to send a mission to investigate “war crimes” in the city.

” The massacre in the town of Boutsa was deliberate. “The goal of the Russians is to exterminate as many Ukrainians as possible,” Kuleba wrote on Twitter. We must stop them and drive them away. I demand new catastrophic G7 sanctions now:

-E embargo on oil, gas, coal.
-Close all ports on Russian ships and goods.
– Disconnection of all Russian banks from SWIFT.

Condemnation by Human Rights Watch

Human Rights Watch (HRW) announced today that it has collected information on what it describes as “obvious war crimes” committed by Russian military forces against civilians in Ukraine.

HRW said in a statement that it had identified “several cases in which Russian military forces committed war crimes violations” in areas under Russian control, such as Chernihiv, Kharkiv, and surrounding areas. from Kyiv.

The announcement, issued in Warsaw, came a day after dead civilians were found on the streets of the Ukrainian provincial city of Butsa, three days after the withdrawal of Russian troops after a month-long Russian occupation of the city. an area of ​​30 km northwest of Kiev.