U.K. calls for Russia to be suspended from U.N. Human Rights Council
The United Kingdom’s foreign secretary Liz Truss on Monday called for Russia to be suspended from the United Nations Human Rights Council.
Her demand came after reports of attacks on civilians in the Ukrainian town of Bucha outside Kyiv.
“Given strong evidence of war crimes, including reports of mass graves and heinous butchery in Bucha, Russia cannot remain a member of the UN Human Rights Council,” Truss tweeted.
Biden says Putin committed ‘war crime’ in Bucha
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President Joe Biden on Monday said he is seeking additional sanctions against Russia and again called Russian President Vladimir Putin a war criminal following reports of a mass killing of civilians by Russian forces in the Ukrainian town of Bucha.
“You may remember I was criticized for calling Putin a war criminal,” Biden said in brief remarks to reporters. “Well, the truth of the matter, you saw what happened in Bucha. This warrants him — he is a war criminal.”
“This guy is brutal, and what’s happening in Bucha is outrageous, and everyone’s seen it,” he added.
Biden administration is considering new sanctions against Russia, official says
The Biden administration is considering adding more sanctions against Russia and tightening existing ones in response to actions by Russian troops in Bucha, according to a senior administration official.
Speaking to reporters on Monday morning, President Joe Biden confirmed that he will announce more sanctions.
The possible shift comes after reports of civilian massacres and mass graves in Bucha circulated, prompting international condemnation and claims that the attacks were war crimes.
While it is unclear which retaliatory measures the administration is considering, the Washington Post reported that the Biden administration has previously discussed “secondary sanctions” on countries that continue to trade with Russia, as well as other measures targeting their economy not seen in previous rounds of sanctions.
More than 20 schools attacked in Ukraine per day, U.K. aid group says
About 22 schools have been attacked in Ukraine per day since the war began five weeks ago, according to a Monday press release from U.K. humanitarian organization Save the Children.
The group said that ongoing military operations have disrupted the educations of around 5.5 million children who remain in the country. More than two million children have fled, they noted.
About 869 education facilities have been damaged — about 6% of schools in the country — and 83 destroyed, the Ukraine Ministry of Education and Science has said. Of those attacks, 43% have taken place in eastern Ukraine, where the organization said more than 400,000 children lived prior to escalation on Feb. 24.
Peter Walsh, Save the Children’s country director in Ukraine, called for those involved in the conflict to “protect the civilian nature of schools, students, and education staff,” as well as avoid using educational facilities for military purposes. “Schools should be safe places of learning for children and must be free from attacks at all times,” Walsh said.
The organization noted that the war has “exacerbated an already challenging educational context” in Ukraine. Prior to the conflict, the group said 30% of education facilities in eastern Ukraine reported not having enough teachers, a problem that is worsening as many flee the country.
Zelenskyy says peace talks ‘difficult’ after Bucha devastation
Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenksyy, says peace talks with Russia will be more difficult after Russia’s military carried out what he called war crimes in Bucha in recent days.
Speaking from the Kyiv suburb Monday, Zelenskyy said he wanted the world to see “what the Russian military was doing” amid claims from Ukrainian officials that hundreds of civilians were killed by Russian forces there.
“This is a war crime and it will be recognized by the world as genocide,” he said of Russia’s attacks on Ukraine.
Noting peace talks that recently took place in Istanbul, he said: “it is very difficult to negotiate when you see what they have done here.”
Still, he said that the longer peace talks are delayed “the worse it is for (Russia), and in principle for this situation, this war, because every day our troops come in and de-occupy the territories.”
Putin imposes visa restrictions on citizens from ‘unfriendly’ countries
Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on Monday introducing visa restrictions for citizens of countries that Moscow deems “unfriendly” in response to sanctions over Ukraine.
The decree, which comes into force on Monday, suspends Russia’s simplified visa issuance regime with some European Union countries as well as Norway, Switzerland, Denmark and Iceland.
It also ordered the Russian foreign ministry and other bodies to decide on introducing personal entry restrictions on “foreign citizens and stateless people who commit unfriendly actions against Russia, its citizens or its legal entities.”
It comes after the Russian government last month approved a list of unfriendly countries including United States, Canada, Britain, EU states and Ukraine, among others.
U.S. wants Russia out of United Nations Human Rights Council
The United States is pushing for Russia’s removal from the United Nations Human Rights Council, its ambassador to the U.N. said Monday.
Linda Thomas-Greenfield said Monday that the U.S. would seek Russia’s suspension in light of what it called mounting evidence of war crimes “following horrific reports about violence against civilians in Bucha.”
Thomas-Greenfield made the comments during a meeting with the Romanian prime minister, Nicolae Ciucă. She used the meeting to praise Romania for taking in more than 600,000 refugees from Ukraine, according to a statement from Olivia Dalton, the U.S. spokesperson at the U.N.
World leaders join in condemning Russian aggression
Countries across the world have joined the chorus of outrage over Russia’s military operation Kyiv in recent days, after Ukraine accused it of killing hundreds of civilians.
Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said on Monday that he saw signs of a possible “genocide” in Ukraine. “Putin is not conservative, just as the extreme-right isn’t conservative.
He wants to impose an authoritarian society through violence.” Sanchez said at an economic forum in Madrid.
France, Poland, Canada, Japan, Israel, Italy, Britain and the European Union have all condemned the civilian deaths in Bucha. Germany has called for severe sanctions against Russia.
European Union considering further Russian sanctions
The European Union is considering imposing additional sanctions against Russia in response to what Ukraine called a “massacre” in towns near the capital, Kviy.
The European Commission, the E.U.’s executive body, condemned of Russia’s alleged massacre of civilians in Ukraine. “We support the investigation by the International Criminal Court prosecutor and will advance as a matter of urgency the work on further sanctions against the Kremlin’s war machinery,” it said in a tweet Monday.
Ukraine’s defense ministry said Sunday that 410 dead bodies were found in “the liberated districts of Kyiv region,” including Bucha and Irpin.
Macron says ‘strong evidence of war crimes’ in Bucha
French President Emmanuel Macron said Monday there were “clear indications” that Russia was responsible for killing civilians in Bucha, adding that this amounted to “strong evidence of war crimes.”
In an interview with France Inter radio, Macron also called for another round of punishing sanctions against the Kremlin.
Macron said Sunday on Twitter that the images coming out of Bucha were “unbearable.” Russian forces have retreated from the war-torn city, leaving in their wake a mass of what appeared to be civilian fatalities.
Macron faces re-election this month.
U.N. human rights chief ‘horrified’ by Bucha images
The United Nations human rights chief has said she is “horrified” by images purported to show the bodies of civilians Ukrainian officials say were slain by Russian forces in the town of Bucha, near Kyiv.
“Reports emerging from this and other areas raise serious and disturbing questions about possible war crimes as well as grave breaches of international humanitarian law and serious violations of international human rights law,” U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet said in a statement Monday.
The U.N. human rights chief said it was essential that all bodies be exhumed and identified so victims’ families can be informed and so the exact cause of death can be established.
She further said it is “vital that all efforts are made to ensure there are independent and effective investigations into what happened in Bucha to ensure truth, justice and accountability, as well as reparations and remedy for victims and their families.”
Russia has denied Ukraine’s claims that hundreds of civilians were killed in Bucha by its forces.
Russia’s chief investigator orders inquiry into Ukraine’s Bucha claims
Russia’s chief investigator ordered an official probe into Ukraine’s accusations of Russian forces killing hundreds of civilians in the town of Bucha, near Kyiv.
In a statement Monday, Russia’s Investigative Committee said it was looking into Ukraine’s claims, as well as images shared by Ukrainian officials that it said aimed to “discredit the Russian military personnel.”
Russia has rejected the claim that its forces killed civilians in Bucha, despite photos and video appearing to show bodies on city streets as its troops pulled out of Bucha and other cities near Kyiv. It has branded Ukraine’s claims a “provocation.” NBC News has not been able to independently verify the photos.
Dmitry Polyanskiy, Russia’s deputy ambassador to the United Nations, said in a tweet Sunday that Russia would also be requesting a meeting of the U.N. Security Council over what he called a “heinous provocation.”
British foreign secretary to visit Poland, call for tougher sanctions on Russia
British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss will visit Poland on Monday to call for tougher sanctions on Russia, her office said, as major Western countries work together to ramp up the pressure on President Vladimir Putin and end the conflict in Ukraine.
“Putin is yet to show he is serious about diplomacy. A tough approach from the U.K. and our allies is vital to strengthen Ukraine’s hand in negotiations,” she said.
“Britain has helped lead the way with sanctions to cripple the Putin war machine. We will do more to ramp up the pressure on Russia and we will keep pushing others to do more.”
Truss is due to meet Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba in Poland’s capital, Warsaw, later Monday and her Polish counterpart Zbigniew Rau on Tuesday.
Britain, a former European Union member, has coordinated with international allies to impose sanctions on key Russian industries and Moscow’s wealthy elites with the aim of crippling its economy in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Zelenskyy says new sanctions not ‘enough’ after accusing Russia of atrocities in Bucha
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has called on the international community to take stronger action to pressure Russia to end its invasion after grisly images purported to show slain civilians emerged out of the town of Bucha, near Kyiv.
In a Sunday address, Zelenskyy said fresh sanctions from the West would not be “enough” to respond to the atrocities Ukrainians say have been committed in Bucha.
“There will definitely be a new sanctions package against Russia,” he said. “But I’m sure that’s not enough. We need more conclusions. Not only about Russia, but also about the political behavior that actually allowed this evil to come to our land.”
Russia has denied Ukraine’s accusations that its forces left hundreds dead in Bucha. It has rejected all claims of targeting civilians in Ukraine since it launched its invasion in late February.
Russia denies Bucha massacre, claims photos are ‘staged’
The Kremlin has doubled down on its rejection of accusations from Ukraine that Russian forces killed hundreds of civilians in the city of Bucha, near Kyiv.
On Monday, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Russia “categorically” rejects “any accusations” and said Ukraine’s claims “must be seriously questioned,” Russian state news agency TASS reported.
Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov called photos purported to show the dead bodies of civilians on Bucha’s streets “staged.”
Russia has consistently denied targeting civilians since it launched its invasion of Ukraine. It was unclear how the development could impact peace talks between the two countries.
Hungary’s hard-line leader declares victory in election as war rages in neighboring Ukraine
Viktor Orbán claimed victory in Hungary’s general election Sunday, as his Fidesz party appears on track to deliver the prime minister a fourth consecutive term amid a raging war in neighboring Ukraine.
A victory would allow Orbán to continue to be a thorn in the European Union and NATO alliances during a time of international crisis, as he attempts to balance Hungary’s Western partnerships with his close personal and economic relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Read the full story here.
Humanitarian corridor expected to open in Mariupol
A humanitarian corridor from the besieged port city of Mariupol to Zaporizhzhia is expected to be open Monday, Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk has said.
In a video address shared on Telegram on Monday, Vereshchuk said the corridor would be designated for private vehicles. She said 15 buses destined for Mariupol had already left Zaporizhzhia as well.
Meanwhile evacuation efforts continue in the Luhansk region, she said, including from the cities of Sievierodonetsk, Lysychansk, Popasna, Nyzhne and Rubizhne.
Ukraine accuses Russia of massacre; city strewn with bodies
BUCHA, Ukraine — Bodies with bound hands, close-range gunshot wounds and signs of torture lay scattered in a city on the outskirts of Kyiv after Russian soldiers withdrew from the area. Ukrainian authorities on Sunday accused the departing forces of committing war crimes and leaving behind a “scene from a horror movie.”
As images of the bodies — of people whom residents said were killed indiscriminately — began to emerge from Bucha, a slew of European leaders condemned the atrocities and called for tougher sanctions against Moscow.
Ukraine’s prosecutor-general says the bodies of 410 civilians have been removed from Kyiv-area towns that were recently retaken from Russian forces.
Read the full story here.
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