US President Joe Biden on Wednesday called the killing of Ukrainian civilians allegedly by Russian troops in the city of Bucha a “serious war crimes”.
“I'm sure you've seen the images of Bucha outside Kiev: bodies left in the streets when Russian troops retreated, some shot in the back of the head and hands tied behind their backs,” Biden said at a trade union event.
“What is happening is nothing but serious war crimes,” he said.
In this regard, Biden announced a total blockade of the two major Russian banks, thereby intensifying the country's financial bloc in retaliation for the invasion of Ukraine.
“I made it clear that Russia would pay a severe and immediate price for its atrocities in Bucha. Today, together with our allies and partners, we are announcing a new round of devastating sanctions,” President Joe Biden said on Twitter
A senior government official explained in a call with journalists the “total blockade” of Sberbank and Alfa Bank, the country's largest financial institutions: the measures prohibit their assets from coming into contact with the US financial system and prevent Americans from doing business with both institutions.
In a statement, Sberbank replied that sanctions would not have a significant effect on its operations, having adapted to previous measures.
Washington said the initiatives, which also affected Putin's two daughters, are intended to turn Russia into a “pariah” of the world economy.
The UN also sees “clear signs of war crimes” in Bucha
The UN Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide, Alice Wairimu Nderitu, spoke in line with Biden and said on Wednesday that she sees “very serious signs” of possible “war crimes” in Bucha.
In a statement, Nderitu demanded “an effective and independent investigation that leads to criminal accountability for the murder of civilians” in that population.
Ukrainian authorities have reported the discovery of more than 400 bodies in the streets of Bucha, a town controlled for several weeks by Russian troops.
Ukrainian President Volodymir Zelensky visited Bucha on Monday and advocated bringing the massacre to “international justice”.
Zelensky is constantly advocating a tightening of sanctions. “I can't tolerate any indecision after everything we've been through in Ukraine and all that Russian troops have done,” he told the Irish parliament.
Several international officials fear that other “atrocities” similar to that of Bucha will appear as Russian troops retreat eastward.
Russia denies having committed atrocities and assures that Bucha's images are a stage planted to cause international impact and reinforce sanctions. Putin called them “gross and cynical provocation” on Wednesday.
But Germany, a country with heavy dependence on Russian gas, claimed that satellite imagery shows that the Moscow version “is unsustainable.”
These images, taken when the city was under Russian control, show what appear to be bodies lying in the streets, in places where they were found by Ukrainian forces and by journalists when the Russians withdrew.
“The latest news of the war in Ukraine shows new atrocities, such as the Bucha massacre, and horrendous cruelty,” Pope Francis said this week.
(With information from AFP and EFE)
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