Russia “categorically” rejects all accusations of massacre of civilians in Bucha

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12:15 p.m. : “The purpose of these killings will be the same: to take revenge on the population for having dared to resist. This is the doctrine of anti-guerrilla warfare, which consists of collective punishment.”

The atrocities in Boutcha are not an isolated case, according to researcher Jack Watling of the British think tank Royal United Services Institute. [L’armée russe] did the same in Afghanistan and Chechnya”, he explains to the BBC. Several testimonies already report similar crimes in Motyzhin, near kyiv, and in other towns such as Hostomel.

12:06 : It’s noon, we take stock of the news:

• Spain and Poland evoke potential “genocide”, after the massacre of civilians unearthed in Boutcha, near kyiv. Emmanuel Macron spoke out for new Western sanctions against Moscow, which again denied any abuse.

• The night from Sunday to Monday recorded the coldest temperatures for the month of April since 1947, according to Météo France, raising fears of considerable damage to vines and fruit trees.

• IPCC climate experts will publish their range of scenarios for limiting global warming at 5 p.m. The planet has gained about 1.1°C on average compared to the pre-industrial era, already multiplying heat waves, droughts, storms or devastating floods.

• One year after the death ofAlisha14, whose body was found in the Seine in Argenteuil (Val-d’Oise), two of his classmates, aged 15 at the time of the events, are on trial for “murder” in Pontoise this week.

11:51 a.m. : Ukraine accuses Russian troops of having massacred hundreds of inhabitants of this city, while several European countries speak of a “genocide” possible. “We categorically deny all charges”replied Moscow, which assures that the experts of the Ministry of Defense have discovered signs of “video fakes” and “fakes” in the images presented by the Ukrainian authorities.

11:47 : Russia rejects “categorically” all charges related to the discovery of a large number of civilian corpses in Boutcha, near kyiv, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

12:11 p.m. : In a letter dated March 23, these four countries had already called the European Commissioner for Transport to take “urgent measures to limit road and maritime transport” to and from Russia and Belarus.

11:49 : Poland, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia will close their borders to Russia and Belarus within 48-72 hours, according to Ukrainian Deputy Infrastructure Minister Mustafa Nayem (in Ukrainian). This concerns all road links (freight and transport), in a desire to isolate the regimes of Vladimir Putin and Alexander Lukashenko.

11:08 : The European Union is discussing “emergency” new sanctions against Moscow, demanded in particular by France and Germany, after the discovery of a large number of civilian bodies in the kyiv region, confirms the high representative of the EU, Josep Borrell. EU “condemns in the strongest terms the atrocities reported”he added.

10:48 : “There were throwing of grenades in cellars, mines were installed in front of the gates of dwellings and, on leaving their homes, civilians jumped on these mines. (…) The Russian soldiers could clearly see that there were children.”

Artem fled Boutcha, a kyiv suburb, on March 12. He told franceinfo about the horror he witnessed. “The Russian soldiers ordered us to dig holes and said that these would be our graves”he also says.

10:10 a.m. : After Spain, Poland in turn evokes a possible “genocide” in Ukraine. “These bloody massacres committed by Russians, Russian soldiers, deserve to be called by their name. This is genocide, and it must be judged”declared to the press the Polish Prime Minister, calling for the creation of an international commission of inquiry.

10:10 a.m. : Ukraine continues evacuations of civilians from Mariupol, announces (in Ukrainian) Iryna Vereshchuk, Deputy Prime Minister. Today, fifteen buses have already left Zaporija to pick up residents. The delegation of the International Committee of the Red Cross, for its part, plans to send seven buses. Evacuations continue in several towns in the Lugansk region.

(UKRAINIAN PRESIDENCY)

10:06 : “What we see today in Boutcha is only proof of what is already happening in Mariupol.”

After the discovery of the massacre of civilians in Boutcha, Ukraine, the deputy mayor of Mariupol estimates on franceinfo that “the situation in Mariupol is much more serious and has been for a very long time”. He estimates that “90% of all infrastructure, all housing is destroyed”.

09:57 : Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez mentioned a possible “genocide” in Ukraine after the massacre of civilians uncovered in Boutcha, near kyiv, following the withdrawal of Russian troops. “We will do everything possible to ensure that those who perpetrated these war crimes do not go unpunished and can be brought to justice”he added.

09:23 : “My mother is 77 years old. She cannot go down to the bottom of the building. So you imagine going to take refuge in the metro.”

In Kharkiv, Ukraine, some residents refused to leave their neighborhood which was targeted by gunfire, while others could not afford to seek refuge elsewhere. Since the beginning of the Russian invasion, the city in the northeast has been one of the main targets of the bombardments. Franceinfo went to meet them. Tatiana lives on the 4th floor of a building in Saltivka, Kharkiv (Ukraine), with her disabled mother.  (GILLES GALLINARO / RADIO FRANCE)(GILLES GALLINARO / RADIO FRANCE)

09:04 : It is 9 a.m., we take stock:

• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky castigated Russian troops, which he said were made up of “murderers, torturers, rapists, looters” after the massacre of civilians uncovered in Boutcha, near kyiv. Guest of France inter, Emmanuel Macron spoke out for new Western sanctions against Moscow, which denied any abuse.

The night from Sunday to Monday recorded the coldest temperatures for a month of April since 1947, according to Météo France. The lowest temperatures were recorded in Champagne, where they fell to -9°C.

• One year after the death ofAlisha14, whose body was found in the Seine in Argenteuil (Val-d’Oise), two of his classmates, aged 15 at the time of the events, are on trial for “murder” in Pontoise this week.

The eclectic Afro-American jazzman Jon Batiste (five awards) and the unexpected retro project Silk Sonic (four awards) triumphed yesterday at the Grammy Awards, the equivalent of the Oscars for American music. The young Olivia Rodrigo, 19, imposed herself as “revelation of the year”.

08:56 : “We are going to coordinate with our European partners. (…) I am in favor of a new set of sanctions. (…) On coal and oil, we must move forward on sanctions”explained Emmanuel Macron.

08:56 : Emmanuel Macron is in favor of new sanctions against Russia, after more than a month of war, he says on France inter.

08:00 : “I think we have to consider that we are at a crime scene. As far as possible, we have to identify the causes of people’s deaths, the types of injuries, the positions of the victims, identify the names, collect the testimonies of witnesses and survivors. It is on this basis that we can confirm that these are (…) war crimes.”

On franceinfo, the head of Human Rights Watch called for “absolutely thorough investigations are carried out as soon as possible” on these deaths.

07:57 : The mayor of Boutcha, in Ukraine, Anatoliy Fedoruk, where Russian troops are accused of having killed residents before withdrawing, affirms on BFMTV that the local authorities believe “the death toll at 350, all civilians”.

07:52 : Here are some of your diaries of the day. As expected, many titles still evoke the war in Ukraine, in particular the discovery of mass graves in towns abandoned by Russian forces near kyiv.

07:00 : You are right, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban won a fourth victory in a row last night in the legislative elections, with 53.35% of the vote against 34.75% for the opposition, according to almost final results. During the campaign, the ultra-conservative leader, ideologically close to Vladimir Putin, refused to deliver arms to Ukraine and to consider sanctions that would deprive Hungarians of precious Russian oil and gas.

06:58 : It seems that Victor Orban is victorious, what is his position towards Putin?

07:55 : “War. What is the exact opposite of music? The silence of ruined cities and slain people.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky intervened yesterday via a recorded speech during the 64th edition of the Grammy Awards, equivalent of the Oscars for American music. He asked for support from his country, after more than a month of invasion by Russia.

07:57 : Here is a first point on the news:

• The Russian army denies having massacred civilians in Boutcha, while the Ukrainian president speaks of “genocide” after the discovery of several hundred corpses in the streets of this city near kyiv. France 2 was able to get there.

If Météo France no longer places any department on orange alert, the cold snap continues in France until Tuesday. Arborists and grape growers are expecting the worst. The French are invited to moderate their electricity consumption by the RTE network manager this morning.

A new demonstration in tribute to Yvan Colonna, a Corsican independence activist fatally attacked in prison, degenerated into violent clashes yesterday in Ajaccio. Fifteen people were injured, according to the prefecture.

Two teenagers are being tried from today, behind closed doors, by the Pontoise juvenile court for Alisha’s Assassination, aged 14, in March 2021 in Argenteuil (Val-d’Oise). They face up to twenty years in prison.

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