War crimes in Ukraine

The Russian army has killed hundreds of civilians around Kyiv, causing rage and shock

Ştefan Stoica, 04.04.2022, 14:00

Allegations of genocide
and war crimes continue to target Putin’s Russia after the grim discoveries made
by the Ukrainian army all around Kyiv, where a number of towns were captured by
the invaders. The bodies of hundreds of dead civilians have been found, and
forensic teams have already examined part of them, Ukraine’s prosecutor general
has said. At the same time, investigators are deposing eye witnesses and
gathering photo and video evidence. In Bucha alone, some 300 people were buried
in mass graves, Ukrainian authorities say, accusing the Russian army of
massacring the people of this town and committing atrocities in other towns
that have been liberated. Russia has denied Ukraine’s accusations, claiming the
images of corpses were doctored. The West was appalled by the images, and said
it would introduce new sanctions against Moscow, although more is expected of
its leaders, as Russia recently announced its true goal is the destruction of
Ukraine.

The tone changed in Bucharest as well, where president Klaus Iohannis
said the dreadful images of Bucha and other Ukrainian cities is a message to
the whole world that this illegal aggression must be stopped and the people
responsible be held accountable. Russia’s invasion in Ukraine has terrible,
unspeakable consequences – the images from Bucha and other cities in Ukraine
should remind the whole world we need to stop this illegal aggression and the
culprits must pay. International justice must prevail!, Iohannis tweeted. In
turn, Prime Minister Nicolae Ciucă called on international courts of
law to prosecute what he described as the terrible crimes committed in
Ukraine by Russian soldiers. Children, women, civilians abused and killed in
cold blood await their justice, the prime minister wrote on the Government’s
Twitter page.

Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu firmly condemned the atrocities
in Bucha and other cities and asked that the culprits be brought before the
International Court of Justice. The president of the Republic of Moldova, Maia
Sandu, expressed her shock, decreeing Monday a day of national mourning in
memory of the victims killed so far in Ukraine. We were shocked by the
massacre of Bucha. Moldova firmly condemns these crimes against humanity, as well
as this illegal and unprovoked war launched by the Russian Federation against
Ukraine, president Sandu wrote on Facebook. (VP)