Zelenskiy accuses Putin of genocide in Bucha

Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskiy has accused Rusian President Vladimir Putin of genocide in Bucha and as are in other towns retaken by the country’s forces.

 

Russia has pulled out of Kyiv, in what it said was scaling down its invasion of Ukraine. It said it would rather retreat to Donbass, where Ukrainian forces are battling separatist armed groups.

 

As the country begins cleaning up corpses and debris strewn around the recaptured places, Zelenskiy is demanding major Western powers slam crippling new sanctions on Russia.

 

“We are the citizens of Ukraine and we don’t want to be subdued to the policy of Russian Federation.

 

“This is the reason we are being destroyed and exterminated.

 

“This is happening in the Europe of the 21st century so this is the torture of the whole nation,” Zelenskiy said.

 

Britain has reacted to the massive destruction and sheer civilian killings. Boris Johnson condemned the scenes while Germany said that those responsible for war crimes should pay.

 

Ukraine said on Saturday that its forces had retaken all areas around Kyiv, including Bucha 23 miles northwest, as the devastation emerged.

 

The commuter town’s mayor said that 300 of its residents had been killed by the Russian army.

 

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro called on the ICC to visit Bucha and other towns around Kyiv as soon as possible to work with Ukrainian law enforcement agencies to ‘thoroughly collect all evidence of Russian war crimes’ the ministry quoted him as saying.

 

‘We are still gathering and looking for bodies, but the number has already gone into the hundreds,’ he added. ‘Dead bodies lie on the streets. They killed civilians while staying there and when they were leaving these villages and towns.’

 

Meanwhile, Russia’s Defence Ministry has claimed all the photographs and footage related to Bucha are a ‘provocation’.

 

Moscow denied Ukrainian allegations that it had killed civilians in Bucha and has repeatedly denied suggestions that it is committing war crimes.

 

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock tweeted: ‘The images from Bucha are unbearable, Putin’s uninhibited violence is extinguishing innocent families and knows no boundaries.

 

‘Those responsible for these war crimes must be made accountable. We will tighten the sanctions against Russia and will assist Ukraine even more in defending itself.’