Boris Johnson denounced that Russia's “despicable” attacks on civilians are war crimes

Boris Johnson said on Sunday that “Russia's despicable attacks on innocent civilians in Irpin and Bucha, the outskirts of Kiev, are further proof that (Russian President Vladimir) Putin, and his army are committing war crimes in Ukraine.”

The British Prime Minister pointed out that no misinformation on the part of the Kremlin can hide the truth, that the Russian president “is desperate, his invasion is failing and Ukraine's determination has never been stronger,” according to a statement released by his official Downing Street office.

“I will do everything in my power to starve Putin's war machine. We are intensifying our sanctions and military support, as well as strengthening our humanitarian support package to help those in need on the ground,” added the head of the British Government.

The Prime Minister stressed that his country has been at the forefront of supporting the International Criminal Court's (ICC) investigation into atrocities committed in Ukraine.

In the city of Bucha, at least 20 bodies have been found in the streets, while Ukrainian authorities have encrypted more than 200 civilians killed in the city. of Irpin, according to the media.

For his part, Johnson congratulated Ukrainian President Volodymir Zelensky on the retreat of Russian forces in several areas of Ukraine.

In a telephone conversation on Saturday, the British Prime Minister acknowledged the immense suffering of civilians and “the enormous challenges” that still exist in Ukraine.

The head of the British Government also updated Zelensky on a recent donor conference convened by the United Kingdom with the participation of 35 countries, while he pledged to continue providing defensive support.

During the conversation, the Ukrainian president briefed Johnson on the peace negotiations and expressed his satisfaction at the involvement of the United Kingdom in these diplomatic efforts.

Both leaders agreed on the importance of increasing sanctions to maintain economic pressure on Putin, while Russian troops remain on Ukrainian territory.

Zelensky described what the Russian Armed Forces are doing in the country as “genocide” against the Ukrainian people, following the discovery of several hundred bodies in the northern areas that Russia occupied until now.

“This is genocide,” the president said live in an interview with the US channel CBS. “It is the elimination of an entire nation and its people. We are citizens of Ukraine and we have more than 100 nationalities living here. This is the destruction and extermination of all these nationalities.”

The Ukrainian president explained that the Russians are “destroying and exterminating” Ukraine because its people do not want to “be subjugated to the politics” of Moscow.

The withdrawal of Russian troops from the north from the Ukrainian capital, Kiev, has revealed the alleged summary executions of several hundred civilians in the suburb of Bucha and other areas.

Also on Sunday, the mayor of Kiev, Vitali Klitschko, indicated that the lifeless civilians found in the streets of Bucha “had their hands tied behind their backs,” as can be seen in photographs released by international media.

The human rights organization Human Rights Watch (HRW) claimed to have indications that the Russian Army is committing possible war crimes in areas under its control, including summary executions of civilians.

The Ukrainian Attorney General's Office this Sunday estimated at 410 the number of bodies of civilians recovered so far in the northern suburbs of Kiev following the withdrawal of Russian troops.

“410 bodies of murdered civilians have so far been removed from the territory of the Kiev region,” Attorney General Iryna Venediktova announced in a Facebook post, according to the Ukrinform agency.

“Prosecutors and other specialists have so far examined 140 of them,” he added, explaining that investigators are cooperating with the local population in search of witnesses, victims and graphic evidence such as photos or videos.

“People are frightened, tired and tormented, they have experienced horror,” Venediktova wrote, specifying that it will take “time and a professional approach” to document everything correctly and not miss the opportunity to punish those responsible.

This Sunday, the Ukrainian Foreign Minister, Dmytro Kuleba, had announced that, although the search and collection of bodies in Bucha and the rest of the northern suburbs of Kiev that were under Russian control is still ongoing, “hundreds” of bodies have already been found.

Kuleba added that it has asked the International Criminal Court (ICC) to send a fact-finding mission to document and prosecute the atrocities committed.

According to the Ukrainian Government, according to media images, the bodies of the victims are wearing civilian clothes and many of them are tied up and appear to have been shot to the head.

With information from EFE

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