Day 41 of the Invasion of Ukraine: Global outrage over Bucha, New Sanctions and Expulsion of Russian Diplomats

Satelite images show mass graves outside a church in Bucha @DailyMail

The Bucha killings have sparked worldwide outrage, a wave of new sanctions and the expulsion of Russian diplomats.

“The Bucha killings have sparked worldwide outrage.”

The bodies found on the streets of the Ukrainian city of Bucha after the withdrawal of Russian forces are causing worldwide outrage. US President Joe Biden is calling for a war crimes trial and new sanctions against Russia. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has assured that the EU is ready to send a team of investigators to gather evidence of possible war crimes following the revelations about the dead. During a visit to the city, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called the killings “genocide”.

Hundreds of bodies

Ukraine's chief prosecutor, Irina Venediktov, said 410 bodies of civilians had been found in areas around Kyiv that had recently been vacated by Russian forces. Bucha Mayor Anatoliy Fedoruk counted 280 bodies buried in mass graves during the fighting. The bodies of five other men were found in the basement of a children's sanatorium in Bucha, the General Prosecutor's Office announced.

The Kremlin denies

The Kremlin denies that Russian forces killed civilians, claiming that images of dead bodies in Bucha were “fakes” created by “Ukrainian radicals.” “We categorically reject all accusations,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. “No civilians were injured during the month-long Russian occupation of the Ukrainian city of Bucha.” This was announced by Russia's ambassador to the UN Vasily Nebenzya accused Ukraine of “fabricating evidence.”

“Major Attack” is coming to Eastern Ukraine

Russian troops are preparing for a major attack in the Luhansk region of eastern Ukraine, local mayor Sergei Gaidai said. “We see that heavy vehicles are coming from different directions, they are bringing in manpower, they are carrying fuel,” he said, adding that Russia was “preparing for a major breakthrough.” A senior Pentagon official said Russia had deployed about two-thirds of the troops stationed around Kyiv. The military has returned to Belarus in order to relocate to other places in Ukraine.

Mariupol is destroyed

The southeastern port city of Mariupol has been “90 percent” destroyed after being besieged by Russian forces, its mayor Vadim Boychenko said, adding that about 40 percent of the city cannot be rebuilt. About 130,000 people remain trapped in the city, which continues to be attacked by shellings,

EU prepares more sanctions

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said the Union was urgently discussing a new round of sanctions against Russia over “atrocities” in Bucha and other Ukrainian cities occupied by Russian forces. French President Emmanuel Macron has confirmed that they may be on Russia's oil and coal sectors, and Germany has warned that cutting off Russian gas supplies to Europe is not yet possible, despite calls for it.

Expelled diplomats

Germany and France have expelled dozens of Russian diplomats since Moscow invaded Ukraine. And the former Soviet republic of Lithuania has expelled the Russian ambassador to Vilnius over the “horrific massacre” in Bucha. Moscow promised to respond.

Germany controls Gazprom's company

Germany is taking control of Gazprom's German subsidiary after the Russian gas giant said it was withdrawing from Gazprom Germania.

With this, Berlin believes that “it is doing what is necessary to ensure security of supply in Germany.”

List of thugs

The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine has published a list of the names and data of about 2,000 Russian servicemen who were in Bucha during the massacre of innocent civilians. The data is from Ukrainian intelligence.

Over 4.2 million refugees

More than 4.2 million Ukrainian refugees have fled their homeland since the Russian invasion, the United Nations has reported.

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