dead civilians
Pentagon blames Russia for acts in Bucha
57-year-old Tanya Nedashkivs’ka mourns the loss of her husband, who was killed in Bucha, on the outskirts of Kyiv. Photo: Rodrigo Abd/AP/dpa
© dpa-infocom GmbH
The Pentagon has no doubt that the atrocities in the Ukrainian city of Bucha can be attributed to Russian forces. President Biden calls for Kremlin boss Putin to be held accountable.
According to the US Department of Defense, Russian forces are responsible for the atrocities in the Ukrainian city of Bucha.
“I think it’s quite obvious – not just to us, but to the world – that Russian forces are responsible for the atrocities in Bucha,” Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said. The US could not say exactly which units were deployed there, but there is no doubt that the atrocities took place and were an act of Russian forces, Kirby said.
Biden: war crimes trial
US President Joe Biden has called for Russian President Vladimir Putin to be tried for war crimes. “He should be held accountable,” Biden said in Washington. «This guy is brutal. It’s disgusting what’s happening in Bucha and everyone saw it,” Biden said. It is a war crime. Investigations would now have to document “all the details” “so that there can be a war crimes trial,” said Biden.
The President also said the US would tighten sanctions against Russia over the war of aggression in Ukraine. “I will continue to add sanctions,” Biden said. In addition, the US would continue to supply Ukraine with weapons to fight against the Russian attackers, he said.
Russia denies guilt
Russia’s ambassador to the UN, Vasily Nebensya, has meanwhile described the atrocities as a “staged provocation”. This is a “disgusting provocation by the regime in Kyiv,” said Nebensia at a press conference in New York. The Russian military has not done what it is accused of, it has not committed atrocities against civilians in Ukraine. “It’s not, it wasn’t, and it never will be,” he said.
Russia has evidence for all of this, which it will present to the UN Security Council as soon as possible, said Nebensia. Russia had already requested a special session of the UN Security Council for Monday. However, the current British presidency of the Council left it at the scheduled meeting on Tuesday, which Nebensja sharply criticized.
After the withdrawal of Russian troops from the north-west of the Ukrainian capital, shots of corpses on the streets of Bucha caused international horror. Ukraine blames Russian troops for the atrocities. They had occupied the small town until recently. Moscow denies the allegations. UN Secretary-General António Guterres said he was “deeply shocked” and called for an independent investigation.