Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky traveled to the city of Butcha, on the outskirts of Kiev, on Monday morning (4). The city has become the new epicenter of conflict tensions after hundreds of civilian bodies were found on the streets and in mass graves following the withdrawal of Russian troops.
Surrounded by heavily armed security guards, Zelensky spoke to journalists and said that the scene is one of war crimes, which must “be recognized by the world as genocide”.
“We want to show the world what happened here. What the Russian Armed Forces did. What the Russian Federation did in peaceful Ukraine. It’s important for you to see that [as vÃtimas] were civilians”, said the president, after highlighting the importance of the presence of the press in the city.
Russia denies deliberately killing civilians and claims it is not responsible for the deaths in Butcha. The Kremlin says it left the city on March 30, days before the reports of murders in the streets, and said the images are false, the result of manipulation and “Ukrainian provocation”.
The discovery of the bodies has heightened international pressure on Moscow, with accusations against Russia for war crimes and calls for an investigation.
