call for more sanctions
Zelenskyy: Situation in Borodyanka “more terrible” than in Bucha
4/8/2022 2:34 am
The images of decapitated corpses on the streets make the Kiev suburb of Bucha a symbol of the horrors of the Russian war against Ukraine. Now Ukrainian President Zelenskyy says there are “even more victims of the Russian occupiers” in the city of Borodyanka.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the situation in the city of Borodyanka after the withdrawal of Russian troops as devastating. The situation in the city is “much more terrible” than in Bucha, which was recaptured by the Ukrainian army a few days ago, Zelenskyy said in a video message to his compatriots. “There are more victims of the Russian occupiers there.”
In addition, shortly after the fifth major EU sanctions package against Russia became known, Selenskyj called for tougher sanctions. The sanctions that have now been imposed are not yet sufficient to stop Russia and end the war, Zelenskyj said in his video message. “More sanctions are needed. Tougher sanctions are needed.” At the same time Zelenskyj demanded weapons for his country “with which we can win on the battlefield”. This will be the strongest sanction against Russia. Zelenskyy said his country’s armed forces are still doing everything possible to repel the offensive of Russian troops in Donbass.
The Ukrainian Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova had previously reported the discovery of dozens of bodies in residential areas of Borodyanka. “Twenty-six bodies were recovered from the rubble of two blocks of flats alone,” she said on Facebook. How many more dead will be found in the city northwest of Kyiv is “impossible to predict.” Venediktova again accused Russia of war crimes. Evidence of this “is found at every turn,” she explained. There are no military facilities in Borodyanka, “their only target was the civilian population”.
Rape as a “weapon of war”
The Russians used cluster bombs and heavy multiple rocket launcher systems, Venediktova added. She accused Russian forces of “killing, torturing and beating” civilians, as well as committing sexual assaults. Ukrainian authorities would gather evidence of Russia’s guilt in Borodyanka for local and international courts.
The Russian army withdrew from the Kyiv area about a week ago and is currently repositioning itself in eastern Ukraine. After the Russian troops withdrew, the places near Kyiv were devastated. The small town of Bucha, where the bodies of numerous civilians were discovered, has become an international symbol of the horrors of war in recent days.
On Thursday, Ukrainian Interior Minister Denys Monastyrskyj said Borodyanka was one of the worst-damaged cities in the Kyiv region. According to earlier information from the Ukrainian Prosecutor General’s Office, the city is believed to have the highest number of victims in the Kyiv region. The Ukrainian civil defense has been looking for survivors and victims there since Wednesday. The settlement, 35 kilometers northwest of the capital, had previously been cleared of mines, it said.
Ukraine accuses the Russian army of executing hundreds of innocent civilians. In addition, Russian soldiers are said to have tortured and raped civilians. Human rights organizations also speak of rape as a “weapon of war” in Ukraine.