Russia-Ukraine War: Russia says Bucha killing 'provocation' to ask for more weapons

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will address the U.N. Security Council for the first time at a meeting Tuesday that is certain to focus on what appear to be deliberate killings in the town of Bucha on the outskirts of the capital Kyiv. The discovery after the withdrawal of Russian troops has sparked global outrage and vehement denials from the Russian government.

The United Kingdom holds the council presidency this month announced late Monday that the Ukrainian leader will speak at the open meeting. Videos and photos of streets in Bucha strewn with corpses of what appeared to be civilians, some with their hands tied behind their back, have led to global revulsion, calls for tougher sanctions, and Russia’s suspension from the U.N.’s premiere human rights body, the Human Rights Council.

According to Ukraine’s prosecutor-general Iryna Venediktova, the bodies of 410 civilians have been removed from Kyiv-area towns that were recently retaken from Russian forces.

Source: AP

Ukraine’s foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba spoke with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres about events in Bucha in what appear to be deliberate killings in the town on the outskirts of the capital Kyiv.

“No place for Russia on the UN Human Rights Council,” Kuleba said on Twitter. “Ukraine will use all available UN mechanisms to collect evidence and hold Russian war criminals to account.”

Videos and photos of streets in Bucha strewn with corpses of what appeared to be civilians, some with their hands tied behind their back, have led to global revulsion, calls for tougher sanctions, and Russia’s suspension from the UN’s premier human rights body, the Human Rights Council. According to Ukraine’s prosecutor-general Iryna Venediktova, the bodies of 410 civilians have been removed from Kyiv-area towns that were recently retaken from Russian forces.

Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi, who has been visiting Poland to assess how Japan can help displaced Ukrainians, said Monday he will bring 20 back to Japan with him, as Tokyo seeks to play a greater role in international support for Ukraine. During three days in Poland, Hayashi visited facilities for Ukrainian refugees in Warsaw and held talks with Polish officials, international humanitarian organizations and civil groups to assess how Japan can provide support.

Credit: AP

“As I observed the severe situation faced by Ukrainians who were forced to flee their country because of the Russian invasion, I have renewed my resolve that Japan should cooperate with international society and provide the utmost assistance so they can return to ordinary lives as soon as possible,” Hayashi told reporters.

Japan has an extremely strict refugee policy and has been reluctant to fully accept migrant workers, making its offer to accept Ukrainians unusual. However, the government has carefully called them evacuees, and it is still unclear if the Ukrainian situation will change its immigration policy. Tokyo expects the 20 evacuees will stay in Japan for at least six months, and will provide further support if needed, said Deputy Justice Minister Jun Tsushima, who is traveling with Hayashi.

Source: AP

Russia is refuting what it calls the "staged" killings in Bucha and "provocation" to slander the Russian Armed Forces. Defense Ministry of the Russian Federation has claimed that the city’s mayor had not reported any atrocities after the Russian forces had withdrawn from the northwestern town on March 30 and that the allegations first appeared only on the fourth day. "Bodies shown seem surprisingly “fresh”, couldn’t lying for four days," said MoD Russia. 

Russian forces also claimed that the initial footage that was shared on the social media by the Ukrainian forces driving into the besieged town did not demonstrate a single body on the road and that they later appeared nearly four days after the troop withdrawal. Russia also points out that the civilian dead bodies mostly have a white band tied to their hands, which according to Russian MoD demonstrates pro-Russian sentiments. Russian Army claims that the citizens "without blue band" were shot down by the "neo Nazi" groups. 

Russia also justified what it described as its special military operation citing the national security threat. "In the early 1990s, we were promised NO eastward expansion. Yet, by 2022, five waves of enlargement, 14 new member states, bases, and military infrastructure were placed right on Russia's borders."

Australia has banned the export of jewelry, wine, vehicles, leather and fur products, as well as any luxury items to Russia in response to the war crimes witnessed against the civilians in the city of Bucha. 

The United States plans to seek a suspension of Russia from its seat on the UN’s top human rights body in the wake of rising signs that Russian forces may have committed war crimes in Ukraine, US Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield said Monday. According to a statement from her office, Thomas-Greenfield made the call for Russia to be stripped of its seat in the Human Rights Council in the wake of reports over the weekend about violence against civilians in the town of Bucha, near the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, after Russian forces pulled out, an Associated Press report has outlined. 

Any decision to suspend Russia would require a decision by the UN General Assembly in New York. Russia and the other four permanent members of the UN Security Council — Britain, China, France, and the United States — all currently have seats on the 47-member rights council, which is based in Geneva. The United States rejoined the council this year. Thomas-Greenfield mentioned the U.S. plan in a meeting with Romanian Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca, her office said. In New York, General Assembly spokeswoman Paulina Kubiak said on Monday that no request for a meeting on the issue has been received yet.

Lithuania has strongly criticised the war atrocities committed by Russian troops in Ukraine and in response closed a Russian consulate in the port city of Klaipeda, where it has a large offshore LNG import terminal.

“Lithuania strongly condemned the atrocities committed by the Russian armed forces in occupied Ukrainian cities, including the brutal massacres in Bucha. All war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by the Russian armed forces in Ukraine will not be forgotten,” Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis said on social media. 

Ukrainian prosecutor-general Iryna Venediktova told Ukrainian TV today that a “similar humanitarian situation” to Bucha exists in other parts of the country where Russian forces recently left, such as the areas around the northern cities of Sumy and Chernihiv. Ukrainian authorities said the bodies of at least 410 civilians have been found in areas outside the Ukrainian capital, including Bucha, after last week’s withdrawal of Russian troops, many with bound hands, close-range gunshot wounds, and signs of torture.

She also said the situation in Borodyanka, which is further from Kyiv and was also held by Russian forces until recently, maybe even worse. Venediktova didn’t specify what exactly had happened in Borodyanka but said “the worst situation in terms of the victims” is there.

(AP Input)

Ukrainian government says that 18 journalists have been killed in the country since Russia’s invasion began on Feb. 24. The Ukrainian Culture and Information Ministry said in a statement on social media that each of the deaths and other crimes against media representatives will be investigated.

Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has said that Moscow "feels no impact" from the expulsion of its diplomats by various European countries, and indicates Russia will respond in kind, according to Associated Press. Medvedev was Russia’s president from 2008 through 2012 and is now deputy chairman of the security council under President Vladimir Putin. Writing on the messaging app Telegram, Medvedev says that “everyone knows the response: it will be symmetrical and destructive for bilateral relations.”

His comments came after Germany expelled 40 Russian diplomats Monday and Lithuania expelled the Russian ambassador and said it would recall its envoy in Moscow. France on Monday also announced it will expel “numerous” Russian diplomats.

Former Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk has warned in a televised interview that Putin will lose in the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.  “This is not just a disaster. Everything that [Russian President Vladimir] Putin and his cronies and his soldiers so-called did to Ukrainian people, this is war crimes and crimes against humanity,” Yatsenyuk told American broadcaster CNN’s, Jake Tapper.  He labelled the atrocities as the most dramatic seen since World war II. What ultimately happens to Putin and his army is a question, he said. 

“How to bring to justice personally Putin and every single commander in the chain, and every soldier who committed these atrocities against the Ukrainian people,” Yatsenyuk posed the question, deriding the harrowing crime scenes. 

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a video address said that number of civilian casualties may be much higher in Borodyanka and other liberated Ukrainian cities than Bucha. “There is already information that the number of victims of the occupiers may be even higher in Borodyanka and some other liberated cities. In many villages of the liberated districts of the Kyiv, Chernihiv and Sumy regions, the occupiers did things that the locals had not seen even during the Nazi occupation 80 years ago. The occupiers will definitely bear responsibility for this,” Zelensky said.

Credit: AP

Britain’s UN ambassador says a previously planned UN Security Council meeting Tuesday is certain to focus “front and center” on the killing of large numbers of civilians in Ukraine.Some of the dead were found with their hands tied behind their backs after Russian troops left the Ukrainian town of Bucha on the outskirts of the capital Kyiv.

The United Kingdom holds the council presidency in April, and Ambassador Barbara Woodward said Britain didn’t grant Russia’s request for a meeting on the situation in Bucha on Monday because “we didn’t see a good reason to have two meetings back to back on Ukraine.” She told reporters that the Security Council will be briefed Tuesday by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, UN humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths and UN political chief Rosemary DiCarlo.

Woodward said that “the images that we saw coming out of Bucha over the weekend were harrowing, appalling, probable evidence of war crimes and possibly a genocide.”

Source: AP

Ukraine has accused Russian forces of a massacre of civilians on the outskirts of Kyiv in the town of Bucha. Dead bodies were left strewn across streets after the Russian troops withdrew from the city. While Kremlin called the atrocities as "staged" and "war propaganda" the satellite images released by Maxar suggest that a mass grave was dug near the Church of St. Andrew much before the Russian forces started pulling out. 

European leaders have pledged support efforts to prosecute possible war crimes and hold those accountable via an investigation. Human Rights Watch said it had documented criminal abuses by Russian soldiers, including reports of rape and  executions.

“The cases we documented amount to unspeakable, deliberate cruelty and violence against Ukrainian civilians,” said the organisation’s regional director Hugh Williamson.

White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan has expressed concerns about the civilian killings in the Bucha town near Irpin as he told reporters during a White House briefing: "Images from Bucha powerfully reinforce now is not time for complacency." Sullivan further continued, that the Ukrainians are defending their homeland courageously "and the United States will continue to back them with military assistance, humanitarian aid and economic support." 

Shocking pictures from the Ukrainian town of Bucha and accusations of Russian war crimes are building pressure for more sanctions against Moscow. A key potential target: Russian oil and natural gas, and the $850 million that European importers pay for those supplies every day. But it’s not so easy, given Europe’s dependence on Russian energy.

Western sanctions so far have targeted Russian banks and companies but spared oil and gas payments — a U.S. concession to keep European allies on board and present a united front. Here are key facts around Europe’s energy imports from Russia and whether a boycott is possible.

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What supply is at stake?

The European Union gets about 40% of its natural gas from Russia, which is used to heat homes, generate electricity and supply industry with both energy and a key raw material for products such as fertilizer. For oil, it’s about 25%, most of which goes toward gasoline and diesel for vehicles. Russia supplies some 14% of diesel, S&P Global analysts said, and a cutoff could send already high prices for truck and tractor fuel through the roof.

Why can't EU cut Russian gas supply like the US did?

The United States imported little oil and no natural gas from Russia as it’s become a major producer and exporter of oil and gas thanks to fracking. Europe had some oil and gas deposits, but production has been declining, leaving the 27-country EU dependent on imports.

Of the 155 billion cubic meters of gas that Europe imports from Russia every year, 140 billion comes through pipelines crossing Ukraine, Poland and under the Baltic Sea. Europe is scrambling to get additional supplies by ship in the form of liquefied natural gas, or LNG, but that can’t make up for losing gas by pipeline.

LNG is also much more expensive, and suppliers are maxed out. While some European countries are well-connected to LNG terminals, such as Spain, and new projects are in the works in places like Greece and Poland, the infrastructure isn’t there to get supplies to the rest of Europe. Building LNG import terminals and pipelines to connect the gas to places that need it can take years.

Germany, the continent’s biggest economy, still gets 40% of its gas from Russia, even after cutting its reliance. It aims to end Russian coal imports this summer, oil imports by year’s end and be largely independent on gas by 2024, Economy Minister Robert Habeck said.

[Credit: AP]

What are the alternatives for EU to get gas?

It’s working to get off Russian gas as fast as possible by finding new sources, conserving and accelerating wind and solar. The EU plan is to cut use of Russian gas by two-thirds by year’s end and exit well before 2030.Besides getting LNG from places like the United States and Qatar, Europe is pushing for more gas from non-Russian pipelines from Norway and Algeria.

Oil is different in that it mostly comes by ship. Still, it wouldn’t be easy to replace Russian supply with global markets tight. Taking Russia’s 2 million-plus barrels per day to Europe off the market would push oil prices higher worldwide. And Russia could try to sell the oil to India and China, though it might earn less.

What will happen if EU banned Russian gas?

Estimates vary, but a cutoff implies a substantial hit to the European economy. A ban might mean governments would have to ration gas among companies to protect homes and hospitals. Makers of metals, fertilizer, chemicals and glass would be hard hit. Even a partial shutoff of gas to industry could cost “hundreds of thousands” of jobs, said Michael Vassiliadis, head of Germany’s BCE union representing workers in the chemicals and mining industries.

“We will likely continue to see resistance from Germany and a select few others as they’re simply far more reliant on Russian imports of oil, gas and coal,” said Craig Erlam, senior markets analyst for the U.K., Europe, Middle East and Africa at currency broker Oanda. “Forecasts for the impact of an embargo vary, but it would almost certainly tip the country into recession.”

A group of nine U.S., UK and German economists said an embargo would mean substantial economic costs for Germany but that it would be “clearly manageable.” The country “weathered deeper slumps in recent years and recovered quickly,” including the 2009 global financial crisis and pandemic recession, they said.

Source: AP

Ten Ukrainian civilians were killed and 46 others were wounded in the Russian shelling of the Ukrainian town of Mykolaiv, the town’s mayor announced. Oleksandr Senkevich in a post said that Russia's strike at 0400 GMT left “one dead and five wounded, including two seriously.”

Austria’s finance minister Magnus Brunner has ruled out new EU sanctions against Russia that target oil and gas in response to the civilian atrocities in the northwest town of Bucha. Vienna is calling on the EU and the West to "keep a cool head" and not slap sanctions that might totally cut off the EU's energy supply. 

“We are very much dependent on the Russian gas, and I think all sanctions that hit us more than the Russians wouldn’t be good for us,” Magnus Brunner told reporters ahead of a Eurogroup gathering of eurozone peers in the Grand Duchy. “That’s why we’re against the sanctions in the oil and gas.”

Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk has said that more than 1,550 civilians have been evacuated from the besieged port of Mariupol where Russia unleashed heavy bombardment on the civilian infrastructure. 2,405 people were evacuated via the humanitarian corridor from Mariupol to the city of Zaporizhzhia. 

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti on Monday said that the Russian leader must be presented to the international tribunal as its troops are "definitely" committing war crimes in Ukraine. In a televised interview, Kurti said, "These horrible crimes that we all see happening in Eastern Ukraine are definitely war crimes, and it is up to investigators to also prove crimes against humanity and genocide."

"I believe that [the] Kremlin has been ordering all of this war machinery into these crimes against unarmed civilians," Kurti told CNN's Bianca Nobilo. H edemanded that Russia's president Vladimir Putin "should face an international tribunal."

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Monday backed efforts to investigate the war crimes in Ukraine's city of Bucha. After holding a telephonic conversation with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, von der Leyen said that the EU will help Kyiv in the probe and subsequently publish reports along with the Ukrainian officials and NGOs about war crimes committed by the Russian forces. This includes the allegations of civilian massacres and rapes.  The reports, images, and video footage have sparked an international outcry, and Ukraine demanded an investigation into crimes against humanity.

The EU will be “sending investigation teams on the ground to support the Ukrainian Prosecution Services,” von der Leyen said in a statement. It wasn't clear what teams will be sent to Ukraine.

European Union will not impose sanctions on Russian gas just yet, Economy Commissioner Paolo Gentiloni said speaking alongside Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe after the crucial meeting of Eurozone finance ministers to discuss the economic impact of Russia's war in Ukraine. 

“We are not taking now measures on gas embargo, but in the future I think this is not off the table, and is connected to the evolution of the war,” Gentiloni told the reporters. 

“I think we all know that sanctions have an impact on the European economy. That if we want to respond to this military action with economic tools, we have to face this cost. If sanctions are extended to a gas embargo, of course, this impact will increase,” the former Italian prime minister said.

The Finance ministers of the 27 member bloc will discuss the fresh sanctions which will not include a gas supply embargo on Russia in a meeting on Tuesday. The sanctions will be in response to  Russian troops' war crime on the civilians of Bucha after they withdrew from areas near the capital Kyiv.  “The backdrop for our meeting today was the horrifying images of the attacks committed by the Russian army against civilians in Ukraine,”  Donohoe said. “We are all appalled. And we stand ready to step up sanctions and support for the people of Ukraine.”

Russian Ambassador to Germany Sergey Nechayev was summoned to the German Foreign Ministry to explain that 40 employees of Russian diplomatic and consular missions in Germany have been expelled from the EU allied nation with immediate effect. 

"On April 4, 2022, the Russian ambassador was summoned to the German Foreign Ministry, where the official position of the German federal government was stated to him in connection with the developments in the [Ukrainian] city of Bucha," a statement from the embassy read.

"The German side also decided to declare 40 employees of Russian diplomatic and consular missions in the Federal Republic of Germany personae non gratae".

Russia meanwhile noted that the  "unmotivated cuts in the diplomatic personnel of Russian foreign missions in the Federal Republic of Germany narrows the space for dialogue" and "leads to a further degradation of the whole set of Russian-German relations." 

"We expressed deep regret over the unfriendly actions of the German side that won’t be left without consequences," the embassy said.

Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba demands "the strictest sanctions" on Russia for its massacre of the Ukrainians. Kuleba called for the international community to act on behalf of the victims in Bucha. "This is a plea of the victims of rape, torture, murder, their relatives, and the entire Ukrainian nation," he said. 

US Department of Defense has announced $300 million package of “additional assistance activities under authority provided by the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI),” DoD informed in a release. A separate $800 million security assistance package for Ukraine also arrived over the weekend. “We’re prioritizing the kinds of capabilities in those shipments that we know Ukrainians need the most: Javelins, stingers, UAVs, so all of that is being prioritized,” Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby said during a briefing. Another $300 million package, he said, will not be from US stockpiles but “another tool in the toolbox" to help Ukrainian Army fight against Russia's invasion. 

Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko is asking the fled residents of the Ukrainian capital not to return for “at least another week”. “First, there is a round-the-clock curfew in several districts of Kyiv region. Also in the cities near the capital, where the fighting continued, a large number of explosive devices were found – which can pose a great threat,” he said on Monday. 

The pro-Russian party on Monday started a mayor election in the partly occupied Mariupol, The Kyiv Independent reported.  Kostyantyn Ivashchenko, a local council member from the pro-Russian party Opposition Platform, was pronounced "mayor" of Mariupol during a meeting of party members.

US national security adviser Jake Sullivan has said that the United States will announce new tougher sanctions against Russia for its war crimes this week. “You can expect further sanctions announcements this week,” Sullivan told reporters in the White House. He revealed that the new sanctions will be discussed with US' European allies and will conclude the  “options that relate to energy”. France's President Emmanuel Macron has called for a ban on Russian oil imports over the recent mass murders of civilians near the town of Irpin Bucha. 

Kremlin has said that it will respond to France's decision to expel Russian diplomats over the alleged war crimes that Russia has deflected on in the northwest town of Bucha, Interfax news agency reported. Paris followed the move of Germany that rampantly expelled 40 Russian envoys over the brutal civilian killings in Bucha, Ukraine. 

A video of the FBI and Spanish authorities seizing the  mega-yacht owned by oligarch and Russia President Putin's friend Viktor Vekselberg has emerged.  The 254-foot vessel was docked in Palma de Mallorca, the capital of Spain´s Balearic Islands. FBI and Homeland Security Investigations as well as Spain's Civil Guard carried out a special operation on the request of US authorities and seized the vessel. 

Head of the Human Rights Watch on Monday said that there are accounts of civilians in Bucha who were bound and executed. "That’s a clear war crime." Speaking to American broadcaster CNN’s Becky Anderson in televised interview, Roth said,  “What is happening in Bucha and other cities around Kyiv could be replicated on a very large scale. And so the message we're trying to send to the Kremlin is that, here's the evidence of these atrocities taking place. If you want to avoid criminal responsibility, reign in your troops." 

Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said that the convoy of evacuation buses headed for the besieged city of Mariupol have been held in the Russian occupied city of Manhush. 

"A convoy of seven buses to evacuate people from Mariupol, accompanied by the International Committee of the Red Cross, is still blocked in Manhush," she said.

French President Emmanuel Macron has called for banning Russian oil and coal in the new round of sanctions against Russia after he condemned the mass graves and atrocities committed by Russian troops in the town of Bucha.

“What happened in Bucha demands a new round of sanctions and very clear measures,” Macron told France Inter radio on Monday, adding that there were “very clear indications of war crimes”.

War crimes and mass civilian killings in the Ukrainian tow of Bucha is the 'costliest mistake that Kremlin ever made' European Parliament President Roberta Metsola on Monday said. Metsola asked the international community for “immediate adoption of a new package of forceful sanctions” against Russia for the atrocities that ita troops committed against the civilians since the invasion on Feb. 24. 

Speaking at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France, Metsola derided Russian regime, as she demanded tough measures against the  “unprecedented atrocities that we are seeing." She stated that the new sanctions need to “target those who bankroll and support Putin and close any existing loopholes.” 

“These coordinated acts of inhumanity cannot remain unanswered, and that we will hold all those responsible to account,” said Metsola, adding that  “atrocities committed by the Russian army in Ukraine are horrific. They are disgraceful, and they are shameful.” Images of the murdered civilians “are war crimes, that are perpetrated by war criminals." 

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier on Monday said that it was a "big mistake" to have struck any kind of economic cooperation with Russia, including the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project between Russia and Germany. 

"My holding on to Nord Stream 2 was clearly a mistake," Steinmeier said in Berlin at a press briefing. "We held on to bridges that Russia no longer believed in and that our partners warned us about."

Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel had been remained adamant until the end of her time in the office late last year to scrap the gas deal with Russia as she had stressed that Nord Stream 2 was "a commercial project and had nothing to do with politics."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visited the town of Bucha near Irpin where civilian bodies were strewn all across the street and sparked international outrage on war crimes. Zelenskyy said that it was "very difficult" for Ukraine to negotiate with Russia after witnessing the horror and civilian suffering in Bucha. He condemned the mass killing in the town left by the retreating Russian forces stressing that it explained  "the nature of the Russian military" and that they "treat people worse than animals."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky examines the town of Bucha, Ukraine, on Monday. Credit: Efrem Lukatsky/AP

Journalists stand by a mass grave in Bucha, on the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine. Russia is facing a fresh wave of condemnation after evidence emerged of what appeared to be deliberate killings of civilians in Ukraine. Credit: AP/Rodrigo Abd

President Joe Biden on Monday called for a war crimes trial against Russia President Vladimir Putin and said he’d seek more sanctions after reported atrocities in Ukraine. “You saw what happened in Bucha,” Biden said. He added that Putin “is a war criminal.”

Biden’s comments to reporters came after Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited Bucha, one of the towns surrounding Kyiv where Ukrainian officials say the bodies of civilians have been found. Zelenskyy called the Russian actions “genocide” and called for the West to apply tougher sanctions against Russia. Biden, however, stopped short of calling the actions genocide.

The bodies of 410 civilians have been removed from Kyiv-area towns that were recently retaken from Russian forces, Ukraine’s prosecutor-general, Iryna Venediktova, said. Associated Press journalists saw the bodies of at least 21 people in various spots around Bucha, northwest of the capital.

“We have to continue to provide Ukraine with the weapons they need to continue the fight. And we have to gather all the detail so this can be an actual -- have a war crimes trial,” Biden said.

Biden lashed out at Putin as “brutal.”“What’s happening in Bucha is outrageous and everyone sees it,” Biden added.

White House officials said talks about ramping up new sanctions against Russia intensified after reports of alleged atrocities emerged. Biden said Monday that he would continue to add sanctions but did not detail what sectors the U.S. may target next. After unveiling an avalanche of sanctions in the first weeks of the war, administration officials in recent days have put more focus on closing loopholes that Russia might try to use to avoid sanctions. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen tweeted Monday that the European Union will send investigators to Ukraine to help the local prosecutor general “document war crimes.”

A Russian law enforcement agency says it has launched its own investigation into allegations that Ukrainian civilians were massacred in suburbs of Kyiv that were held by Russian troops, focusing on what it calls “false information” about Russian forces.

The Investigative Committee claims Ukrainian authorities made the allegations “with the aim of discrediting Russian troops” and that those involved should be investigated over possible breaches of a new Russian law banning what the government deems to be false information about its forces.

Source: AP

Canada has said that it will target “close associates” of the Russian and Belarusian governments with new sanctions as it condemned the war atrocities committed by the Russian troops in Bucha, the northwest town near irpin. Canada plans to sanction at least nine Russians and nine Belarusians for “having facilitated and enabled violations of Ukraine’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence,” the Canadian government said on Monday.

“These individuals are close associates of the Russian and Belarusian regimes,” the government said in a news release. “Adding to several actions taken by Canada to support Ukraine and its people, these measures demonstrate that Canada will not relent in holding (Russian President) Vladimir Putin and his enablers accountable for their egregious and illegal actions.”

France has announced that it is expelling the Russian diplomats in retaliation to the Russian troops atrocities in Bucha against the Ukrainina civilians. 

Canada’s foreign Minister Melanie Joly has called for a tougher sanctions against Russia and its ally Belarus during her Helsinki visit, where the Canadian minister met with lawmakers. She discussed how Canada and the allied nations can deter and build resilience against hybrid threats, especially in regards to Russian aggression in Ukraine.

British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss at a press briefing in warsaw said that Russia must be suspended from the United Nations Human Rights Council as she condemned the Russian troops' atrocities and mass graves in Bucha, Ukraine.

“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,” she said on Twitter. “Russia must be suspended.”

US President Joe Biden has called the Bucha killings a "war crime," adding that his administration will impose more sanctions on Russia President Vladimir Putin's regime.

“You may remember I got criticized for calling Putin a war criminal. Well, the truth of the matter is you saw what happened in Bucha. This warrants him — he is a war criminal. But we have to gather the information. We have to continue to provide Ukraine with the weapons they need to continue the fight and we have to get all the details so this can be actual — have a war crime trial. This guy is brutal and what’s happening in Bucha is outrageous and everyone’s seen it,” Biden told reporters upon landing in Washington, DC.

Asked if the civilian killings in Bucha are a genocide, Biden told reporters,“ No. I think it’s a war crime.”

The situation in the Ukrainian city of Mariupol is "on the brink of a humanitarian catastrophe," as more than 100,000 civilians need to be evacuated, Mayor Vadym Boichenko said in a press briefing.

"The situation in Mariupol remains very difficult," he said. "We are on the brink of a humanitarian catastrophe — no light, no water, no food, no medicine for more than a month. Therefore, we insist that Mariupol must be given a full evacuation and access to the city. But we see that today the Russian Federation is blocking all humanitarian aid moving in the direction of Mariupol. And no cargo reached Mariupol."

Nearly two-thirds of Russian troops centered around Ukraine’s capital Kyiv have “departed the area" and are now heading towards the north in an apparent repositioning, a senior US defense official said at a briefing. The Russian troops are now concentrating near Belarus. 

“What we continue to believe is that they’re going to be refit, resupplied, perhaps maybe even reinforced with additional manpower, and then sent back into Ukraine to continue fighting elsewhere,” the official told reporters in the US. He added that the Russian troops are headed towards the eastern party of the country, in the Donbas region. 

UK Foreign Minister at a press briefing at the British Embassy in Warsaw condemned Russia's atrocities in the town of Irpin and Bucha. “We will not rest until those responsible for atrocities, including military commanders and individuals in the Putin regime, have faced justice,” Truss said. 

International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) team on Monday claimed that it was stopped and had failed to reach Mariupol, Ukraine to evacuate civilians.

"A team from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is being held in the town of Manhush, 20 kilometers west of Mariupol," ICRC spokesperson Jason Straziuso has reportedly said.  "It's not a hostage situation," he added.

The occupiers destroyed the famous landscape park "Dobropark" in the village of Motyzhyn in the Kyiv region. 

Curfew extended in liberated settlements in Kyiv Oblast until 6:00 a.m. on April 7. Oleksandr Pavliuk asked residents in Brovarskyi, Vyshhorodskyi, and Buchanskyi districts to understand the inconvenience since Ukraine’s forces are clearing mines that Russians left behind.

(Source: The Kyiv Independent)

European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, said the EU is ready to send joint investigations teams to Ukraine to document alleged Russian war crimes and crimes against humanity. In a statement, she said that she conveyed to him her condolences and assured him of the European Commission’s full support in these terrible times. "The harrowing images cannot and will not be left unanswered. The perpetrators of these heinous crimes must not go unpunished," the European leader added. 

On Monday, Germany's Finance Minister Christian Lindner said that ending gas imports from Russia will hurt the EU more than it would hurt Russia. His remarks came as the 27 member bloc announced plans to slash Russian Fuel imports in the wake of Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine. While the German lawmaker speculated on the consequences of the potential ban, he declined to speculate whether the EU will impose an embargo on Russian energy imports. 

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said it had become harder for his govt. to negotiate with Russia since Kyiv had become aware of the scale of alleged atrocities carried out by Russian troops. His remarks came as authorities revealed 410 people were "murdered" by Russian troops in Bucha. While the embattled President has agreed to go ahead with the next round of negotiations with Moscow, he said that the killings in Bucha would be remembered as "genocide". 

Kremlin, on Monday, categorically denied any accusations related to the murder of civilians in the city of Bucha, calling it yet another provocation by Ukraine. Furthermore, Moscow also called on UN Security Council to hold a meeting on the same. Amidst all this, a top UN negotiator met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. 

Russian troops are regrouping and are trying to improve their tactical positions in southern Ukraine, according to the country's Armed Forces. As the conflict continued for the 40th day, Kyiv claimed that Russian troops were forming new units to send more personnel into the Ukrainian territory. West has accused Kremlin of recruiting foreign mercenaries and soldiers, including those from Syria and Georgia. 

Russia, on Monday, suspended VISA agreements with four "unfriendly European countries." The list included three Scandinavian countries- Norway, Iceland, and Denmark along with Switzerland. It is pertinent to note that Switzerland broke its 200-year-old policy of neutrality to sanction Russia after it launched an offensive on Ukraine. 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited Bucha on Monday, wherein authorities reported mass murders and torture of innocent civilians. During the visit, he talked to residents and also surveyed streets obliterated by the invaders. This comes hours after he asserted that Russian troops committed "war crimes" and "genocides" in Ukraine. However, the allegation was quickly denied by Kremlin. 

As Russians shift their focus on eastern Donbas region, Ukraine has claimed control over Sumy. The north-eastern region was a major conflict zone since the start of the Russia invasion. However, on Monday, the Governor of Sumy confirmed that Russian troops no longer occupied any towns or villages in the region and had mostly withdrawn, while Ukrainian troops were working to push out the remaining units. Speaking on national television, Governor Dmytro Zhyvytskyi said Russian troops had abandoned a lot of equipment in the region, which lies on Ukraine's border with Belarus.

Russia has rejected any role in Bucha killings, calling it another provocation by Ukraine. On Monday, the Russian Ministry of Defense released an online statement saying that the Mayor of Bucha confirmed that there weren’t any dead bodies lying around when Russian troops left the city on March 30. Furthermore, it said that all the corpses were ‘seemingly fresh” and didn’t seem like they were from 4 days ago. 

“All the photos and videos published by the Kiev regime in Bucha are just another provocation,” Kremlin said. 

French President Emmanuel Macron condemned what he called “Russian war crimes” in Bucha and called for tougher sanctions on the Vladimir Putin administration. Addressing France Inter Radio on Monday, he said, “There are very clear clues pointing to war crimes. It is more or less established that the Russian army is responsible (for the Bucha killings). What happened in Bucha demands a new round of sanctions and very clear measures," he said. Furthermore, he said that the new sanctions should particularly target coal and oil. Notably, the EU, last month, announced plans to end its dependency on Russian fuel imports. 

Ukraine has accused Russian troops of committing war crimes and a “massacre” in Bucha. On Sunday, Kyiv announced that it had recaptured Bucha and Irpin. As Ukrainians troops entered the Kyiv Suburb they found streets laden down with corpses of civilians, many with their hands tied on their backs. A day later, the Prosecutor General of Ukraine confirmed the number of dead to be 410. Acknowledging the same, President Volodymr Zelenskyy vowed to investigate and prosecute all the Russian war crimes. 

As many as 51% of Russians are "proud of Russia's war against Ukraine", Anton Gerashchenko, Official advisor and a former deputy minister at the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine said. On Monday, the top Ukrainian official revealed that only 5% felt ashamed of the Vladimir Putin-led invasion.  A total of 14% of people were "happy and excited" about the war taking the total approval percentage to 65%. 
 

Russia has kept as many as 11 mayors and community leaders in captivity, Prosecutor General of Ukraine Iryna Venediktova revealed on Monday. As the Russo-Ukrainian war continued for 40th day on Monday, she said that a representative of the village of Motyzhyn, in the Kyiv region, was murdered while being held by Russian troops. “Up to today, 11 heads of local communities in the regions of Kyiv, Kherson, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, Mykolaiv and Donetsk are in captivity," deputy prime minister Iryna Vereshchuk said in a video message posted on her Telegram account. 

British PM Boris Johnson, on Monday, called out Russia’s “despicable” attacks on innocent civilians in the Kyiv suburbs of Irpin and Bucha. Further, he said that the world knew the truth that Putin’s “failed invasion” had made him desperate. His stance came a day after Ukrainian troops recaptured Irpin and Bucha laying bare evidence of Russia’s “execution” and “torture” of civilians. 

Meanwhile, Johnson said that he will increase sanctions against Moscow. "I will do everything in my power to starve Putin’s war machine. We are stepping up our sanctions and military support, as well as bolstering our humanitarian support package to help those in need on the ground," he said. 

The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense, on Monday, released the updated count of Russian combat losses. Since the start of the invasion, it said, Moscow had lost 18, 300 troops while the number of destroyed tanks totalled to 647. In addendum, over 1,844 armored personnel vehicles have been lost. 

Russia's "despicable attacks" on innocent Ukrainian civilians in Bucha and Irpin are "yet more evidence" of war crimes, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said. His remarks came as Ukraine's Prosecutor General said that 410 bodies were recovered from Kyiv Oblast after Ukrainian troops recaptured it. Speaking to BBC, he also said that Russian President Vladimir Putin had become desperate amidst his failed invasion. 

The UK Defense Ministry has released its daily intelligence report on the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war. On April 4, it said that the Kremlin troops are continuing to reorganize and recentre around eastern Donbas region. It also claimed that mercenaries, including those belonging to the Wagner group, have been deployed in the area. Notably, it one of the objectives of Putin’s so called special military operation was the liberation of seperatist held regions. 

Carla Del Ponte, the former prosecutor of the UN international criminal tribunals for Yugoslavia and Rwanda, said that an international arrest warrant should be issued for Russian President Vladimir Putin. She accused him, politicians and officials of war crimes, writes the newspaper Le Temp.

United Nations has reported 1,417 civilians killed in Ukraine since February 24.

Due to Russia's unjustified attack on Ukraine, the costs of cars can go up, even prompting a shortage of supplies as wiring made in Ukraine that is very important for automobiles is already unavailable. Vehicle prices are projected to rise further into next year, with buyer demand high, supplies limited, and the war producing additional disruptions.

If Russian metal supplies, ranging from palladium for catalytic converters to nickel for electric vehicle batteries, are cut off, US output will almost certainly suffer. As per the reports of AP News, Mark Wakefield, co-leader of Alix Partners' global consulting firm stated, "You only need to miss one part not to be able to make a car." S&P Global forecasted that global automakers would produce 84 million automobiles this year and 91 million the following year before the war. It now expects fewer than 82 million people in 2022 and 88 million in 2023.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Sunday called for an independent investigation into the mass killings of civilians in the Ukrainian town of Bucha, in the suburbs of Kyiv. In a tersely worded statement on Twitter, the UN chief expressed that he was "deeply shocked" by the images of civilians killed in the ill-fated town. Guterres also called for "effective accountability" by those involved in the harrowing atrocity.

Guterres's remark came a day after Ukrainian officials and witnesses in Bucha town claimed that withdrawing Russian troops from the suburban areas of Kyiv had killed at least 300 civilians. Images of mutilated corpses shoved in mass graves, streets and yards emerged sparking worldwide outrage among leaders and human rights activists. The international reports come in the wake of the Russian forces pulling back from the area after weeks of intense fighting. "I am deeply shocked by the images of civilians killed in Bucha," Gutteres wrote on Twitter, joining the global outcry against Russia.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson intends to call on German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to step up sanctions against Russia during his meeting this week, the Times reported. Earlier. Scholz had that the EU will introduce a new package of sanctions against Moscow.
 

In order to limit Russia's energy supplies and cope with the energy crisis, the German authorities have given some instructions to its citizens. Germany's Minister of Food and Agriculture Cem Ozdemir stated that if possible people should ride a bike or take a bus or train instead of using cars to save energy, given the high energy prices and strong dependence on Russia. He also said that by doing so it would be possible to save a lot of energy.

Peter Hauk, a German opposition party member stated that people should turn off Putin's "golden tap," and stop the supply of gas and oil so that Europe gets a chance of freedom again.

Earlier, German Economy and Climate Minister Robert Habeck stated that Germans should reduce their energy usage to reduce the country's reliance on Russia. He stated that he would like to warn with a plea to businesses and individual customers to help Germany and Ukraine by conserving gas or energy in general, according to Politico.

After horrific images of dead bodies of civilians from the Ukrainian city of Bucha emerged, criticism against the Russian forces for perpetrating 'war crime' has come out from all over the world. The US State Secretary, Antony Blinken has stated that those images are a "punch to the gut." He further said that the State Department would help document any atrocities committed by the Russian military against Ukrainian civilians.

As per the reports of CNN, he claimed that since the attack, they have stated that Russian forces have committed war crimes, and they have been working to document this, as well as to submit the information they have to the right instructions and organisations that will put it all together. He further said that there must also be a sense of responsibility.

Ukraine's Special Operations Forces discovered a Russian Buk surface-to-air missile system and ammunition near one of the settlements, though no further information was provided.

In a statement on Facebook, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said that the Russian 'Buk' was discovered by the Special Operations Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine together with the soldiers of the resistance movement. It further stated that during a special investigation and search-strike action, in the area of one of the settlements, soldiers discovered the Russian ZRK "Buk".

UK Ministry of Defense intelligence update suggests that Mariupol is probably the primary target of Russia's attack because it will guarantee a land route from Russia to occupied Crimea, according to the Ukrainian media. Meanwhile, Ukrainian officials blamed Russian troops for the killings in Bucha and other Kyiv suburbs, with the president describing them as genocide.

Local authorities claim that the Russian soldiers attacked a residential area in Kharkiv on Sunday, killing seven people and injuring 35. The regional prosecutor's office in Kharkiv announced on Telegram that the Russian invaders fired on residential buildings in Kharkiv's Sloboda neighbourhoods at around 6:00 pm local time on April 3 and around ten houses and a trolleybus depot were damaged as a result of the incident. It was also stated that seven people died and 34 were injured, including three children.

On Sunday, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau condemned the horrific killings of civilians in Bucha, Ukraine, and demanded that Russia be held accountable. Trudeau stated that they strongly condemn the death of people in Ukraine and stand determined to hold the Russian regime accountable and those guilty of these crimes. He further said that heinous attacks will face consequences.

Dmitry Polyansky, Russia's First Deputy Envoy to the UN stated that in view of the "blatant provocation of Ukrainian radicals in Bucha," Russia has sought a UN Security Council meeting for Monday. He stated that Russia has urged a UN Security Council meeting be scheduled on Monday afternoon, April 4th, in view of the blatant provocation by Ukrainian radicals in Bucha, claiming that the Ukrainian instigators and their Western supporters will be exposed by Moscow.

After Ukrainian and European officials accused Russian forces of committing atrocities near Kyiv, Germany's defence minister, Christine Lambrecht said Sunday that the European Union should consider blocking the import of Russian gas. Lambrecht also stated that a reaction is required and that these types of acts must not go unpunished, according to German media.

On Sunday, Russia dismissed footage showing dead civilians in the town of Bucha, near Kyiv, as "false" and a "provocation." Igor Konashenkov, a spokesman for the Russian Defense Ministry, stated during a press conference in Moscow that Russian soldiers had left the city on March 30, as verified by the mayor, Anatoly Fedoruk.

He also said that if civilians were killed as reported, it should have been revealed when announced that Russian troops were no longer in Bucha.

Following President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's labelling of Vladimir Putin's troops' terrible killings of people as "genocide," Britain is stepping up its military backing for Ukraine. UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson condemned the "despicable" attacks against innocent civilians" in the towns of Irpin and Bucha.

He further said that he will do everything in his power to starve Putin's war machine. Johnson also said that they are increasing their sanctions and military support, as well as beefing up the humanitarian aid package to help those in need on the ground in Ukraine.

On Sunday, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres stated that the images of dead civilians in the Ukrainian village of Bucha stunned him and that he has called for an independent investigation to lead to effective accountability.

On Sunday, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg described the slaughter of civilians in Bucha, Ukraine, as "brutality" unlike anything seen in Europe in decades, and said that their deaths underscored the need for Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the conflict. He further stated that the fact that civilians are being targeted and killed is heinous and unacceptably cruel. It also emphasises how critical it is for this war to end. 

The US was poised to impose further sanctions on Russia soon, said State Department spokesperson Ned Price. He stated that when it comes to their sanctions, they have always stated that they will keep putting pressure on President Putin, the Kremlin and everyone around him, including billionaires and those close to him, who are fueling the conflict against Ukraine. He also stated that the US will do everything possible to bring the criminals to justice.

French Foreign Affairs Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian on Sunday lashed out at the horrifying war crimes committed against Kyiv's civilians by the invading Russian forces. Labelling the killings as the  “massive abuses” by Russian forces”, Jean-Yves Le Drian said that France will work with Ukrainian authorities and the International Criminal Court to launch an investigation and hold accountable those responsible for what the Ukrainian Foreign Minister described as 'a massacre' in Ukraine. 

Mentioning the town of Bucha outside Kyiv, where the Ukrainian Army said that it dug mass graves of more than 300 civilians, the French Foreign Affairs Minister said that such abuses during the conflicts amount to" war crimes." 

White House chief of staff Ron Klain on Sunday warned that Russia's war in Ukraine is “far from over” as the attacking forces retreated from Kyiv and Ukraine's Army took back control. Speaking in an interview on ABC News’ “This Week" Klain said that the Russian troops may simply be repositioning as there is "a lot of evidence" that Putin is relocating troops out of the northern part of Ukraine towards the cities bordering the Belaruain border. 

“I think the Ukrainians are winning the war around Kyiv and in the northern part of the country. And that's tremendous credit to the fighting they've done and to the support that the United States and our NATO allies have provided them. We send weapons into Ukraine almost every single day,” Klain told ABC’s George Stephanopoulos.

Germany’s foreign minister has said Russia must pay for its war atrocities and “uninhibited violence” done by Russian President Vladimir Putin's invading troops. Mentioning the alleged massacre witnessed in the Ukrainian town of Bucha, Annalena Baerbock wrote on Twitter that the EU must resort to more severe sanctions to put an end to Russia's violence. “The images from Bucha are unbearable, Putin’s uninhibited violence is extinguishing innocent families and knows no boundaries,” Baerbock said. 

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell has expressed "shock" at the war atrocities committed by Russian troops in Kyiv.Borrell also congratulated Ukraine on the “liberation” of the Kyiv region and said that he would assist in launching an investigation into the alleged war crimes. “Shocked by the news of atrocities committed by Russian forces,” Borrell said on Twitter. “All cases must be pursued, namely by [the International Criminal Court].”

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg on Sunday warned that the Russian forces' withdrawal from Kyiv shall not be considered as the "pull out". In an interview with American broadcaster, CNN Stoltenberg noted Russia's military strategies as has been observed from its numerous military interventions including in Syria. These troops may be "repositioning" and that implies that there could be more attacks in the future, he said. 

NATO chief echoed Pentagon press secretary John Kirby's warnings made earlier wherein he told a briefing that the US has seen a "small number" of Russian forces moving away from Kyiv, but it's "too early" to call it "pullback." His remark came after Russia's defense ministry announced that it would scale back military operations near the Ukrainian capital Kyiv. 

"We believe that this is a repositioning, not a real withdrawal and that we all should be prepared to watch for a major offensive against other areas of Ukraine," Kirby had warned. He had added that Russian troops were going to escalate the conflict activity in the eastern Donbas region. "Russia has failed in its objective of capturing Kyiv. It's failed in its objective of subjugating Ukraine. But they can still inflict massive brutality on the country," said Kirby. 

United States officials on Sunday cited intelligence assessments as they claimed that Russia has changed its Ukraine war plan and is repositioning troops to gain control of the Donbas and other eastern Ukraine territories by early May. Russian troops have been unable to maintain control of regions where they have been battling for over a month.

Officials also revealed that Russian President Vladimir Putin is "currently under pressure to show that he can win" and that eastern Ukraine is the location where he is most likely to do so soon. Putin is focused on the day, May 9, Russia's "Victory Day" to make those military outcomes happen, an official who spoke on anonymity basis said in televised remarks, Sunday.

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Anonymous hackers on Sunday leaked the personal data of 120,000 Russian soldiers involved in the so-called 'special military operation' in Ukraine. Since the invasion, the anonymous hacker's group stepped up the cyber offensive against Russia, as earlier they hacked Russian construction company Rostproekt, claiming to make more leaks that "will blow Russia away." They published the company's data on leak site DDoSecrets. They have now released the personal information of 120,000 Russian soldiers fighting in Ukraine. 

Human Rights watch on April 3, Sunday said that the videos of possible Russian POW abuse by Ukraine forces are credible enough to require an effective investigation. It also iterated that, if confirmed, the abuse would amount to a war crime.  Ukraine should ensure an "effective investigation" into alleged abuse by Ukrainian fighters of Russian prisoners of war (POWs), Human Rights Watch said.

"The beating and shooting of captured combatants in their legs would constitute a war crime," HRW warned, adding that Ukraine needs to demonstrate that it is willing to prevent and punish serious violations of international humanitarian law. 

HRW published a report, stating that videos posted online early on March 27, 2022, appear to show Ukrainian forces abusing captured Russian fighters or combatants, who have prisoner of war status, including shooting three of them in the leg. "The incident appears to have taken place in a village near the city of Kharkiv, which Ukrainian officials had announced retaking two days earlier," the rights body said.  A video posted on March 28 by a Ukrainian journalist shows three charred bodies at the same location, but it is not clear whether they were Russian soldiers. 

“All the information in the videos that suggests abuse, and maybe worse, of POWs needs to be subject to an effective investigation,” said Aisling Reidy, senior legal advisor at Human Rights Watch. “It should be possible to verify if abuse took place, and from there to hold those responsible to account.”

Adviser to the Ukrainian president, Olexiy Arestovych, acknowledged that abuse of prisoners of war constitutes a war crime and said it will be punished. “I would like to once again remind all our military, civilian, and defense forces that the abuse of prisoners of war is a war crime that has no amnesty under military law and has no statute of limitations,” he posted on Telegram. 

Kremlin on Sunday said that it is impossible to isolate Russia completely after the EU demanded such a measure, condemning the civilian killings in the northwest town of Bucha near Kyiv. “There can be no complete vacuum or isolation of Russia, it is technologically impossible in the modern world,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in an interview to Russian state TV. He also asserted that there is a wider world than just "Europe”. He also said, “sooner or later" Russia will have to build a dialogue, "whether some overseas want it or not.”

The casualties of Russia's airstrike on the Mykolaiv regional administration building have increased to 36 people.

Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba called on the missions of the International Criminal Court and international organizations to arrive in Bucha, and other cities and towns of the Kyiv region "as soon as possible" to gather evidence of Russian war crimes and crimes against humanity. Kuleba spoke to British radio Times UK on April 3 and said: "I urge the International Criminal Court and international organizations to send their missions to Bucha and other liberated towns and villages of the Kyiv region, in cooperation with Ukrainian law enforcement agencies, to thoroughly collect all evidence of Russian war crimes." 

Ukraine's Foreign Minister has also sent a request to the International Criminal Court and has invited a team into the war torn territory. The evidence, he said, can be used in international and foreign courts to bring to justice those who committed these atrocities. 

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

Ukraine's minister condemned the mass crimes of the Russian army in Ukraine, including murder, torture, looting, rape: "It was impossible to imagine this in the XXI century, but it is happening before our eyes. Russia is worse than ISIS," he said. 

Media outlets on Sunday refuted Russian Defense Ministry's claims that the Bucha massacre was war propaganda being hurled by the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Russian Federation's defense ministry's reposted footage from the northwest town near Kyiv, stating that a "dead man" laying on the street has "moved his hand." Rejecting the observation made by the Russian defense ministry, Nexta clarified, "You can clearly see that this is a glare on the glass." 

At the point of temporary deployment of the Airborne Forces unit in the Kyiv region, Russia on Sunday "awarded" the paratroopers for their "courage and heroism" during what it described as a special military operation. 

President of European Parliament Roberta Metsola has demanded that Russia's war crimes in Ukraine must be investigated and the "perpetrators and their [military] commanders must be brought to justice." "World must be aware of what is happening. Tougher sanctions must be imposed," Metsola said in a Twitter post, adding that she was "appalled by the atrocities of the Russian army in Bucha and other liberated areas."

Former Prime Minister of Finland Alexander Stubb on Sunday said that it was "time to isolate President Putin’s Russia completely," as he derided the civilian killings in Ukraine. "Stop all oil and gas exports immediately," he demanded. 

Germany’s vice-chancellor and the economy minister on Sunday condemned the brutal and "terrible war crime” committed by the Russian forces out in the town of Bucha where streets were littered with corpses of civilians. Robert Habeck demanded tougher EU sanctions on Russia for the war atrocities in an interview with the German newspaper Bild. “This terrible war crime cannot go go unanswered,” Habeck told the German newspaper.  “I think that a strengthening of sanctions is called for. That’s what we are preparing with our EU partners,” he added. 

Human Rights Watch (HRW) issued a statement in Polish on Sunday saying that it found "several cases of Russian military forces committing laws-of-war violations" in the occupied territories of Chernihiv, Kharkiv, and Kyiv. The agency condemned what it called the "apparent war crimes" by invading Russian forces inside civilian areas. Russian defence ministry in Moscow did not immediately clarify the civilian bodies found in Bucha which the Ukrainian Foreign Minister Kuleba called a "genocide." 

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Sunday bestowed the Order "For Courage" an award to the slain Ukrainian photographer Maksim Levin who got killed in the village of Huta Mezhyhirksa, north of the capital of Kyiv, on 1 April. Levin widely covered conflicts around the world and was also a long-time contributor to the Reuters news agency and Ukrainian news website LB.ua. His photos were published by leading media outlets during the conflict in Ukraine. 

Prime Minister of Estonia on Sunday expressed shock and devastation at the civilian killings by the Russian Army near the Ukrainian capital Kyiv. Kaja Kallas compared the brutal assaults and atrocities witnessed by the Ukrainian Armed Forces on the streets with the mass killings of the Nazi regime in WWII. She condemned the 'war crimes' committed by the invading forces inside Ukraine. She called for increasing the military aid to Ukraine to counter such an aggression. "Our top priority should be increased military aid in Ukraine," Kallas said. 

"Photos of murdered civilians in Irpin and Bucha by Russian troops recall the mass killings by Soviet and Nazi regimes," Estonian PM wrote on Twitter. "This is not a battlefield, it’s a crime scene," she added. 

EU chief Charles Michel on Sunday vowed to slap more stringent and crippling sanctions on Russia's regime as he condemned the “atrocities” against the civilians committed by the Russian forces in the town of Bucha, near Ukraine’s capital Kyiv. 

“Shocked by haunting images of atrocities committed by Russian army in Kyiv liberated region Bucha Massacre,” the European Council head wrote on Twitter. “EU is assisting Ukraine & NGO’s in gathering of necessary evidence for pursuit in international courts.”

Demanding new sanctions from the G7 and the international community against Russia, Ukraine's Foreign Minister on Sunday accused Russian forces of deliberately massacring civilians in Bucha to create war hysteria and fear. Taking to his official Twitter handle, Kuleba shared harrowing images of the scenes from the town located northwest of Ukraine’s capital Kyiv. 

"Bucha massacre was deliberate. Russians aim to eliminate as many Ukrainians as they can. We must stop them and kick them out," he said on Twitter. 

The mayor of Kyiv on Sunday expressed shock at Russia's  “cruel war crimes” in the town of Bucha, northwest of the capital. Speaking to German daily Bild, Vitali Klitschko said: “What happened in Bucha and other suburbs of Kyiv can only be described as genocide.” A trail of civilian bodies was discovered by the Ukraine soldiers, including the civilians that had been “shot with tied hands” on the roads by invading troops. Almost 300 people were buried in a mass grave in Bucha by Ukrainian forces. 20 men in civilian clothes were found littered across several hundred yards in the town situated in the northwest of Ukraine’s capital Kyiv. 

UK's Foreing Secretary Liz Truss on Sunday said that Britian is working to collect evidence and launch an investigated into alleged war crimes by the Russian soldiers in Ukraine. "As Russian troops are forced into retreat, we are seeing increasing evidence of appalling acts by the invading forces in towns such as Irpin and Bucha," Truss said in a statement. "Their indiscriminate attacks against innocent civilians during Russia's illegal and unjustified invasion of Ukraine must be investigated as war crimes," she went to add. 

Lithuania on Sunday mourned loss of film director Mantas Kvedaravicius who was killed in Ukraine's Mariupol on Saturday, according to Ukrainian Defence Ministry's information agency's update. "While trying to leave Mariupol, the occupiers killed Lithuanian director Mantas Kvedaravičius, who is the author of the documentary Mariupolis," the agency informed. 

"We lost a creator well known in Lithuania and in the whole world, who until the very last moment, in spite of danger, worked in Russia-occupied Ukraine," Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda said on Sunday in an update. 

Ukraine's Defense Ministry on Sunday released a security camera footage purportedly showing Russian troops sending back the items they looted in Kyiv to their homes. "No judgments, only evidence. Three hours of security camera footage. An endless queue of Russian soldiers who have just returned from the Kyiv region and are sending home what they've looted in Ukraine," Ukraine's defense Ministry wrote in an update. 

Ukraine's army has taken control of ​​the city of Pripyat and a section of the State border of Ukraine with Belarus. The deserted town is the site of Ukraine's Chernobyl nuclear power plant which witnessed the world's worst nuclear disaster in 1986. Russian troops had invaded nearly the 32km (19 miles) Chernobyl exclusion zone and had surrounded the nuclear plant. 

[Credit: Nexta/twitter]

Ukrainian presidential adviser Oleksiy Arestovych on Sunday condemned 'cruel murders of civilians' in Kyiv warnign that the war atrocities will not go unpunished. "The crimes will not be unpunished. There will be no other news for today. The world must be horrified," he said in a  video address. 

Russian troops are holding hostage at least 11 Ukrainian mayors and have killed one in detention, Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said on Sunday. In a social media post, the deputy PM informed that 11 local mayors from Kyiv, Kherson, Mykolaiv, and the Donetsk regions "are in Russian captivity" adding that one has lost life. Ukraine will "inform the International Committee of the Red Cross, the UN, and other organizations about their captivity," she warned. The act is a war crime, she asserted. Ukraine's Army will ensure that "our civilians, our mayors, priests, journalists, and activists are liberated," furthermore she added. 

Ukraine will restart the evacuation of the civilians in the besieged port city of Mariupol on Sunday, Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said in an online update. As many as 17 buses will take civilians to the southern city of Berdiansk from Berdiansk and neighboring Mariupol to ensure their safety as the heavily destroyed city continues to witness the fiercest assault on civilian properties. On Sunday, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) team en route failed to reach the city, the ICRC press office informed. 

"10 (buses) to evacuate the people of Mariupol and local residents from Berdiansk seven buses will try to approach Mariupol accompanied by the Red Cross," Vereshchuk said in a footage on his social media.

Russian troops have pounded the southern port city of Odesa with missiles targeting “critical infrastructure” early Sunday, its mayor Gennadiy Trukhanov. said in a Facebook post. No casualties were reported. Trukhanov did not give details of the critical infrastructure that was damaged but stated that the missiles were aimed at the strategic port on the Black Sea where the main base for Ukraine's navy is located. 

Soldiers of formations and military units of the Russian Baltic Fleet's Army Corps are conducting tactical exercises with live firing in the Kaliningrad Region. Notably, Kaliningrad Oblast is the westernmost region of the Russian Federation and borders Poland and Lithuania-both NATO members. Tensions have increased between the military alliance and Moscow amidst Ukraine's invasion. 

One oil refinery and three storage facilities for fuel and lubricants near Odesa were destroyed, the Russian Defence Ministry said. Earlier on Sunday, a series of explosions were heard and smoke was seen in the Southern port city. Soon after, it was revealed that the city was hit by four missiles that were fired by Kremlin troops.  “Odesa was attacked from the air. Some missiles were shot down by air defense,” the city council said in a brief statement on the Telegram messaging app. 

Finish Prime Minister Sanna Marin said on April 2 that Russia's war against Ukraine had forced Finland to reexamine its security policy. "Russia is not the neighbor we thought it was," she said. Last month, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg had invited leaders from Sweden and Finland to attend a virtual summit on the situation in and around Ukraine. Hours later, Marin said that her country would join the North Atlantic Alliance if the situation of national security becomes "acute"

The Russian military has lost over 18,000 personnel since the war began on February 24. In its latest intelligence update, Ukrainian Defense forces revealed that Moscow had lost 644 tanks in addition to 1830 combat armored machines. It has also lost 143 aircraft in combat operations. Read the complete list here: 

As Ukrainian troops recaptured Kyiv suburbs of Bucha and Irpin, photographs released from the region show Ukrainian soldiers scrounging dead bodies for booby traps and assessing the destruction. At least, 20 dead bodies have been found lying attended on the road, some of whose hands were tied at the back. Ukrainian authorities have accused Russians of executing innocent civilians and looting their belongings. 

In its latest intelligence report on the Russia-Ukraine war, the UK Ministry of Defence has said that Kremlin troops have increased their activities in the southeast region of Ukraine. Meanwhile, the Russian Navy continues to impose a blockade on Ukraine's coasts in the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov. As the war entered day 39, Russians aimed to curtail ritime resupply to their war enemies.

Amidst the ongoing war, Baltic countries have completely cut the import of Russian fuel imports. “Since April 1, Russian natural gas is no longer flowing into Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania,” Uldis Bariss, chief executive of Conexus Baltic Grid said. Furthermore, he said that Baltic nations were currently receiving natural gas from reserves stores underground in Latvia. 

Russia continues to shell Severodonetsk, Lysychansk, and Rubizhne in Luhansk region as its invasion of Ukraine entered day 39. According to the Governor of Luhansk Oblast Serhiy Gaidai, Russian forces on April 2 continued their strikes on the large cities and hit one residential building for third time in one week. Furthermore, he speculated that Russian troops would intensify shelling in the coming days as they were trying to break into Donbas through it’s northern front. 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in his nightly address, said that Russian troops aimed at capturing "both the Donbas and the south of Ukraine.” His remarks came hours before Kremlin troops struck the southern port city of Odesa with a barrage of missiles. Highlighting that Ukrainians have regained control over Kyiv and Chernihiv, he said, "We are strengthening our defenses in the eastern direction and in Donbas… What is the goal of Russian troops? They want to capture both the Donbas and the south of Ukraine.”

A series of explosions were heard and smoke was seen in Ukraine’s southern port city of Odesa in the early hours of Sunday, The Guardian reported. 

Ukrainian flag was raised at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant after the Russians retreated from the region. In a Telegram statement, Ukraine's state nuclear agency Energoatom said "Today, April 2, at 11:00, Ukrainian flag was raised over the Chernobyl NPP and the anthem was sung.” Earlier this week, Russian troops withdrew from the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. Later, citing the reason for withdrawal from Chernobyl area, Moscow said that its troops received “significant doses" of radiation from digging trenches in the forest in the exclusion zone around the closed plant. 

In a massive development, Bucha, Irpin, Gostomel and the 'whole of Kyiv region' were recaptured by Ukrainian troops, as Russians shifted their focus to the southeastern part of the war-torn country. On Saturday, Deputy Defence Minister of Ukraine Ganna Maliar said that Zelenskyy's army has gained control over “the whole Kyiv region”. Now, the UK has announced that it will collect evidence for Russian war crimes in Ukraine. 

Ukrainian Defense Ministry has accused Russia of looting and selling goods stolen from Ukraine. In a tweet, the ministry said that Kremlin troops had set up a “specialized markets”  in Belarus to sell goods that they took while raiding Ukrainian towns and cities. “From children's toys, carpets to, as in this photo, washing machines, were grabbed in the last few days by retreating Russian troops,” it said.

Lithuanian Film Director Mantas Kvedaravičius was killed by the Russian troops while trying to leave Mariupol. Kvedaravičius had directed award winning documentaries on Chechnya, Mariupol (Mariupolis) & others. According to reports, the filmmaker was in the besieged city to document the atrocities conducted by Russian troops as battle intensified. 

As the Russia-Ukraine war entered day 39, Ukrainian Air Command reported that Russia lost 8 of its war equipment on Saturday. In an online post, it said, that Putin's forces lost four missiles, two Su-34 fighter-bombers, one helicopter, and one UAV in the last 24 hours. 

The UK Ministry of Defense, in its latest update, has said that Russia was concentrating its air forces in Southern Ukraine. According to the UK Defense Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine, Russia is likely moving its military operation focus to the area. Last week, Russian president Vladimir Putin had promised to retreat from Kyiv and Charnihiv, However west had shown skepticism.