“This is genocide,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sunday, following the appearance of images of civilian bodies scattered on the streets of Bucha, northwest of the capital Kiev, after Russian forces withdrew from the area. Asked during an appearance on CBS News’ “Face the Nation” program if Russia was committing genocide in Ukraine, Zelensky replied: “Indeed. This is genocide.” “The extermination of the entire nation and people. We are the citizens of Ukraine. We have more than 100 nationalities. It is the destruction and extermination of all these nationalities,” he continued. Ukraine does not want to “submit to the policy of the Russian Federation”, said Zelensky, adding that “this is the reason why we are destroying and exterminating.” “This is happening in 21st century Europe. So this is the martyrdom of the whole nation,” he told viewers. The alleged atrocities in Bucha have sparked international outrage, with Western leaders calling for war crimes investigations and new sanctions in Russia. US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said on Sunday that the State Department would help document any atrocities committed by the Russian military against Ukrainian civilians. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has described the deaths of civilians in Bhutan as “barbaric” and said “I warmly welcome” the International Criminal Court (ICC), which has launched an investigation into war crimes in Ukraine. Russia’s response: The Russian Defense Ministry claimed that the extensive video was “fake”, saying that “no locals were subjected to violence” during the Russian occupation of Bukha. “In the settlements of the Kiev region, Russian military personnel delivered and delivered 452 tons of humanitarian aid to civilians,” she said in a statement. A separate statement claimed the video was rigged. “Stories about Bouha appeared in many foreign media outlets at the same time, which is like a planned media campaign,” the statement said. “Given that the troops left the city on March 30, where were the plans for four days? Their absence only confirms the fake.” The Russian government has consistently responded to allegations of civilian casualties caused by Russian forces with general denials. After the Russian air force bombed a maternity hospital on March 9, Russian officials tried to disprove the widespread media reports, with a Russian diplomat blaming a bombing victim — a woman who escaped the bombing and was still bloodthirsty. and not a real victim. CNN could not independently confirm the details of the men’s deaths. CNN had asked the Russian Ministry of Defense for comments on the alleged executions of civilians in the Kiev region and in other parts of Ukraine. CNN’s Nathan Hodge, Chandelis Duster and Jeremy Herb contributed to the report.
