(Kyiv) Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday accused Russia of practicing “genocide” in Donbass, in the east of the country.
Posted at 7:10 p.m.
“The current offensive by the occupiers in the Donbass could make the region uninhabited,” Zelensky said in his daily televised address, accusing Russian forces of seeking to “burn down” several towns in the region.
Russia practices “deportation” and “mass killing of civilians” in the Donbass, continued Mr. Zelensky, according to whom “all this […] is an obvious policy of genocide carried out by Russia”.
Mr. Zelensky’s accusations echo those of Russia, which justified its invasion by an alleged “genocide” carried out by the Ukrainians against the Russian-speaking population in the Donbass.
In April, the Ukrainian Parliament had already adopted a resolution describing as “genocide” the actions of the Russian army in the country, and had urged all foreign countries and international organizations to do the same. US President Joe Biden himself used this expression.