Russia requests UN Security Council meeting over ‘Ukrainian radicals’ provocation in Bucha’
“In light of the Ukrainian radicals’ provocation in Bucha, Russia has requested a meeting of the United Nations Security Council in the second half of the day on Monday, April 4,” Dmitry Polyanskiy (above) said via Telegram, according to state news agency TASS.
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Russia’s United Nations Security Council deputy representative has requested an emergency meeting on Monday, citing “the Ukrainian radicals’ provocation in Bucha.”
That comes in the wake of the reported devastation in Bucha, a town on the outskirts of Kyiv that has been liberated by Ukrainian forces.
Ukraine has accused Russia of a deliberate civilian “massacre” in Bucha, with international leaders condemning the graphic footage and images of dead bodies and calling for an independent investigation.
Russia has denied allegations that its troops killed civilians in Bucha.
“In light of the Ukrainian radicals’ provocation in Bucha, Russia has requested a meeting of the United Nations Security Council in the second half of the day on Monday, April 4,” Dmitry Polyanskiy said via Telegram, according to state news agency TASS. “We will unmask Ukrainian provocateurs and their Western patrons.”
— Sam Meredith
Ukraine deputy PM says humanitarian corridors set up in Mangush, Mariupol and Luhansk
Ukraine Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk says humanitarian corridors have been set up in Mangush, Mariupol and Luhansk.
Vereshchuk said a corridor was in place on Monday to take people from the besieged city of Mariupol to Zaporizhia.
Meanwhile, the Red Cross plans to continue its movement from Mangush to Mariupol, with seven buses on the way, Vereshchuk said, while evacuations continue in the Luhansk region.
— Sam Meredith
‘Beyond reprehensible’ and ‘a punch to the gut’: World reacts to images of Bucha devastation
Ukrainian soldiers inspect the wreckage of a destroyed Russian armored column on the road in Bucha, a suburb north of Kyiv.
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Ukraine accused Russian forces of carrying out a “massacre” in the town of Bucha, while Western leaders reacted to the images of dead bodies on the outskirts of Kyiv and called for an independent investigation.
Russia has denied the allegations, describing the graphic video footage and photographs of bodies as “yet another provocation” by the Ukrainian government.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz called the killings at Bucha “horrific and terrible,” while the country’s Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock described the images as “unbearable.”
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he was “deeply shocked” by the images of dead civilians in Bucha and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said they were akin to “a punch to the gut.”
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern called the reported atrocities “beyond reprehensible” and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told reporters he strongly condemned the attacks.
— Sam Meredith
Russian forces refocusing their offensive on Donbas, UK says
A woman reacts before the train leaves the eastern city of Kramatorsk, in the Donbas region, on April 3, 2022.
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Russian forces are continuing to refocus their offensive into the Donbas region of east Ukraine, according to the U.K. Defence Ministry.
“Russian troops, including mercenaries from the Russian state-linked Wagner private military company, are being moved into the area,” the ministry said via Twitter.
— Sam Meredith