Russia-Ukraine live news: UN chief urges independent Bucha probe | Russia-Ukraine war News
Antonio Guterres says he was ‘deeply shocked’ by images of dead civilians in the Ukrainian town of Bucha and calls for an independent investigation.
- United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres says he was “deeply shocked” by images of dead civilians in the town of Bucha, near the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv and calls for an independent investigation.
- Ukraine’s prosecutor-general says the bodies of 410 civilians have been recovered from areas in the wider Kyiv region from which Russian forces withdrew.
- Russia’s defence ministry denies Russian forces killed civilians in Bucha.
Here are the latest updates:
Russia must be held accountable for Ukraine civilian deaths: Trudeau
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has condemned the “egregious and appalling” killings of civilians in the Ukrainian town of Bucha, saying Russia must be held to account.
“We strongly condemn the murder of civilians in Ukraine, remain committed to holding the Russian regime accountable,” Trudeau wrote on Twitter.
“Those responsible for these egregious and appalling attacks will be brought to justice,” he added.
We strongly condemn the murder of civilians in Ukraine, remain committed to holding the Russian regime accountable, and will continue to do everything we can to support the people of Ukraine. Those responsible for these egregious and appalling attacks will be brought to justice. https://t.co/YDwJ0n693m
— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) April 3, 2022
EU must discuss import ban on Russian gas: German minister
Germany’s defence minister has said the European Union must discuss banning the import of Russian gas after Ukrainian and European officials accused Russian forces of committing atrocities near Kyiv.
“There has to be a response. Such crimes must not remain unanswered,” the defence ministry quoted Christine Lambrecht as saying in an interview with the public broadcaster, ARD.
Earlier, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Western allies would agree to further sanctions on Russia in the coming days.
Satellite images show trench at Bucha grave site: US company
Satellite images of the Ukrainian town of Bucha show an approximately 45-foot-long (14-metre) trench dug into the grounds of a church where a mass grave has been identified, a private US company has said.
The images, captured on March 31, followed previous imagery from March 10 that show signs of excavation on the grounds of the Church of St Andrew and Pyervozvannoho All Saints, Maxar Technologies said.
Russia says Kyiv attempts to disrupt peace talks with Bucha ‘provocation’
Russia’s foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova says Moscow requested a UN Security Council meeting to discuss Kyiv’s attempts to disrupt peace talks and escalate violence with a “provocation” in Bucha.
“Russian Federation requested a meeting of the U.N. Security Council in connection with the provocation of the Ukrainian military and radicals in the city of Bucha,” Zakharova wrote on her Telegram channel.
“The idea behind the next crime of the ‘Kyiv’s regime’ is the disruption of peace negotiations and the escalation of violence.”
UK military intelligence says heavy fighting continues in Mariupol
Heavy fighting has continued in the southern Ukrainian city of Mariupol as Russian forces attempt to take the strategic port city, British military intelligence has said.
“The city continues to be subject to intense, indiscriminate strikes but Ukrainian forces maintain a staunch resistance, retaining control in central areas,” the Ministry of Defence said.
UN chief urges independent probe of civilian deaths
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has said he was “deeply shocked” by images of dead civilians in the Ukrainian town of Bucha, and called for an independent investigation that “leads to effective accountability”.
Guterres posted his comments on Twitter a day after witnesses and officials said that Russian troops killed hundreds of civilians as they withdrew from the town near Kyiv.
“I am deeply shocked by the images of civilians killed in Bucha, Ukraine,” Guterres said, joining Western officials in expressing outrage.
“It is essential that an independent investigation leads to effective accountability,” he said.
Welcome to Al Jazeera’s continuing coverage of the war in Ukraine.
Read all the updates from Sunday, April 3 here.
