Wearing Bulletproof Vests And Heavily Guarded By The Military, President Zelensky Visits Bucha Where Hundreds Of Civilians Were Found Dead
JAKARTA - The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, came to visit the city of Bucha which is now an international issue. In this city, Ukrainian authorities found 410 bodies and were considered a serious war crime by Russia.
The city is 35 miles northwest of the capital, Kyiv. Images showing civilian bodies strewn across the streets sparked international outcry.
Zelensky arrived wearing body armor and surrounded by military personnel. He spoke on national television and signaled that it was very difficult for Ukraine to negotiate with Russia following the atrocities committed by the Kremlin in Bucha.
"This is a war crime and will be recognized by the world as genocide," Zelensky said.
And the situation on both sides will only get more difficult as Russia continues to delay the meeting process.
"We know that thousands of people were killed and tortured, with limbs severed, women raped and children murdered," he said.
After Russia withdrew from several areas around Kyiv, the mayor of Bucha, a liberated city 37 km (23 miles) northwest of the capital, said about 300 residents had been killed by Russian forces, while Chechen fighters controlled the area.
Russia has denied allegations that its troops killed civilians in Bucha. Moscow says no residents have suffered from the violence from Russian troops, accusing Kyiv of carrying out what it considers a fabricated provocation for the Western media.
Ukrainian prosecutors were able to enter the cities of Bucha, Irpin and Hostomel for the first time on Sunday. They need more time to figure out the extent of the crime, said Attorney General Iryna Venedyktova.
The Russian Defense Ministry categorically rejects the accusations by the Kyiv regime, related to the alleged massacre of civilians in the settlement of Bucha City in the Kyiv region that were leveled last weekend.
Apart from that, the ministry also said that the photos and videos of Bucha are yet another fake made by the Kyiv Government regime for Western media.
"All photos and videos allegedly proving the 'crimes' committed by Russian troops in Bucha City, Kiev region, which were released by the Kiev regime, constitute another provocation," the ministry said.
"The photos and videos of Bucha are fakes made by the Kiev regime for the Western media, just as it was done in Mariupol maternity homes and in other cities," the ministry stressed.
As previously reported, the mayor of Bucha accused Russian troops of being responsible for the deaths of hundreds of civilians in the city during the roughly month-long occupation.