Russia Denies “Fake” War Crimes in Bucha, Ukraine, Blames the US – Many Western European countries are calling for an investigation of Russia after evidence of gruesome war crimes were found in the town of Bucha, outside of the capital of Kyiv. Other Western nations, including the US and the UK, are calling for further sanctions against Russia over its Ukraine actions.
Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, citing Russian war crimes across the areas that they have controlled in Ukraine during the invasion, has called for an “independent commission” to be formed, that would include doctors, criminologists, and other specialists.
“We propose establishing an international commission to investigate crimes in cities in Ukraine,” Morawiecki said on Monday at a press conference.
“Bucha, Irpin, Hostomel, and Motyzhyn are the places we will remember. The Russians committed the crime of genocide. It must be properly documented and judged,” Morawiecki added in a post on Twitter.
Poland was joined by the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs which described the many executed civilians in Bucha as “horrific crimes committed during the withdrawal of the Russian occupation forces against Ukrainian unarmed civilians.”
“Those responsible for these crimes must be held accountable. We call for the immediate investigation of the crimes and the punishment of those responsible,” the statement added.
Many of the dead were found with their hands bound behind their backs showing that they were executed.
Russia Denies Executions, Blames US For “Ordering” It:
Meanwhile, the Russians denied any involvement in the murder of civilians and went on to claim that the US and NATO were behind the plot to blame Russia.
Maria Zakharova, the Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson said, “Who are the masters of provocation? Of course, the United States and NATO,” in an interview on Russian national television.
“In this case, it seems to me that the fact that these statements were made in the first minutes after these materials appeared leaves no doubt as to who ‘ordered’ this story.”
Alexander Bastrykin, the chairman of Russia’s Investigative Committee, has ordered an investigation into the deaths of civilians in Bucha and also denied that Russia was involved in any way.
“According to our information, in order to discredit the Russian military personnel, the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine distributed to the Western media videos filmed in the city of Bucha, Kyiv region, as evidence of the massacre of civilians,” the Investigative Committee posted in a message.
The Russian Defense Ministry called the images of the dead Ukrainian civilians “fake”.
Ukraine’s Zelensky Says Russian Actions Are “Genocide”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of “genocide” and attempting to eliminate the “whole nation” of Ukraine, during a televised interview on Sunday.
Zelensky appeared on the CBS program Face the Nation, and said, “This is genocide. The elimination of the whole nation and the people.”
“We are citizens of Ukraine and we don’t want to be subdued to the policy of the Russian Federation. This is the reason we are being destroyed and exterminated. And this is happening in the Europe of the 21st century. So this is the torture of the whole nation.”
He said that further sanctions, which are coming, are “not enough”.
“There will definitely be a new sanctions package against Russia,” Zelensky said in a televised speech on Sunday night. “But I’m sure that’s not enough,” he added.
Steve Balestrieri is a 1945 National Security Columnist. He has served as a US Army Special Forces NCO and Warrant Officer before injuries forced his early separation. In addition to writing for 19fortyfive.com, he has covered the NFL for PatsFans.com for more than 10 years and his work was regularly featured in the Millbury-Sutton Chronicle and Grafton News newspapers in Massachusetts.
