Great Britain Zelensky insists Moscow be punished for war crimes
Three years after the recapture of the small town of Butsha, which was marked by atrocities, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi has called for Russia to be punished for war crimes.
01.04.2025, 05:02
SDA
"Russian criminals must be held accountable for all of this," demanded Zelensky in his evening video message. "(Kremlin leader Vladimir) Putin, other Russian criminals and the Russian state itself cannot be allowed to be absolved of responsibility."
The small town of Butsha near Kiev, which was home to around 50,000 people before the war, was occupied by Russian troops in the early days of the war in spring 2022. After its liberation by the Ukrainian armed forces, civilians were found dead in the streets - some with their hands tied. The city thus became a symbol of Russian war crimes. The United Nations later confirmed the deaths of dozens of civilians in a report. To this day, Russian officials reject the accusation of a war crime and speak of a staging.
Zelenskyi went on to say that it was simply impossible to normalize what the Russians had done in Butsha, Mariupol and so many other towns and villages. "We will continue to work to ensure that Russia is held accountable for this war." According to Ukrainian figures, around 1,400 civilians were recorded dead in Butsha, including almost 40 children. More than 170 people were discovered in mass graves and torture chambers.
Meeting with France and Great Britain planned soon
Selensky said that he had thanked British Prime Minister Keir Starmer in a telephone call for his support for Ukraine and the pressure London was exerting on Moscow. "We are preparing a meeting of our military representatives to prepare the contingents," Zelensky also said. According to Starmer, a meeting of representatives from the UK, France and Ukraine is to take place in the coming days in order to advance plans for Kiev's security.
Great Britain and France are leading a "coalition of the willing" and have declared their willingness to back up a ceasefire with a contingent of troops. Russia has so far categorically rejected the deployment of European soldiers in Ukraine.
Chinese foreign minister discusses Ukraine with Lavrov
China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi is meeting his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in Moscow today to discuss the war in Ukraine. Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin is also preparing for a meeting with the guest from Beijing. "We expect that President Putin will receive Mr. Wang Yi and that they will be able to exchange views," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the state news agency Tass.
China is a close ally of Russia. However, it is critical of the fact that its war of aggression against Ukraine is causing major international upheaval. A separate peace plan from the leadership in Beijing was rejected by Ukraine because it was close to Russian positions. If the United Nations were to play a role in a settlement, China would be involved as a veto power in the Security Council.
Putin calls up 160,000 men for military service
Against the backdrop of his war of aggression against Ukraine, Putin called up 160,000 young men for military service. According to the presidential decree, Russians between the ages of 18 and 30 are to be called up by mid-July. This is the highest number of conscripts since the Kremlin has increasingly relied on professional contract and temporary soldiers as part of the army reform since 2012. Twice a year - in spring and fall - Russia still calls up more than 100,000 men for their one-year military service.
The Kremlin has already increased the number of troops in the Russian army three times since the invasion of neighboring Ukraine. Last fall, Putin ordered an increase in the target strength to 2.4 million military personnel - of which 1.5 million are soldiers. Officially, conscripts are not taking part in the war against Ukraine, although they have been involved in fighting in the Russian border region on several occasions.
