Russia 'must answer for crimes' in Ukraine says French president
French President Emmanuel Macron has condemned the "unbearable" images of murdered civilians in the Ukrainian commuter town of Bucha, near Kyiv, and said Russian authorities "must answer for these crimes".
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Since Russian soldiers pulled out of Kyiv and the surrounding area, Ukrainian officials say they have recovered 410 civilian bodies.
140 of them have been examined, Prosecutor General Iryna Venedyktova said on television on Sunday.
Bucha mayor Anatoly Fedoruk said on Saturday that 280 bodies were found buried in mass graves.
Reporters have confirmed dozens of corpses were left lying on the streets following the Russian withdrawal.
AFP reporters in Bucha counted at least 20 bodies, all in civilian clothing, strewn across a single street.
One man had his hands tied behind his back with a white cloth, and his Ukrainian passport left open beside his body.
"On the streets, hundreds of civilians cowardly murdered," Macron wrote on Twitter on Sunday, in reference to Bucha.
Possible war crimes
French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian condemned "in the strongest possible terms" the actions of the Russian army which "could be, if confirmed, war crimes".
"I have received information indicating massive abuses by Russian forces in Ukrainian towns that they have been occupying these last few weeks, in particular in the area of Bucha," he said in a statement.
France will work with Ukrainian authorities and the International Criminal Court (ICC) to put on trial those responsible, Le Drian said.
Ukrainian authorities published graphic images of alleged Russian atrocities on Twitter.
Bucha massacre was deliberate. Russians aim to eliminate as many Ukrainians as they can. We must stop them and kick them out. I demand new devastating G7 sanctions NOW:
— Dmytro Kuleba (@DmytroKuleba) April 3, 2022
-Oil, gas, coal embargo
-Close all ports to Russian vessels and goods
-Disconnect all Russian banks from SWIFT pic.twitter.com/oZkCAETCQp
Russia's defence ministry has denied responsibility for the killing of civilians in Bucha.
"During the time this settlement was under the control of Russian armed forces, not a single local resident suffered from any violent actions," the ministry said in a statement.
Moscow maintains the pictures are a Ukrainian "fabrication".
Sanctions
EU chief Charles Michel has also condemned "atrocities" carried out by Russian forces and pledged further sanctions on Moscow.
"EU is assisting Ukraine & NGOs in gathering of necessary evidence for pursuit in international courts," he said, adding that "further EU sanctions & support are on their way."
Ursula Von der Leyen, head of the European Commission, also expressed outrage over the "unspeakable horrors".
Appalled by reports of unspeakable horrors in areas from which Russia is withdrawing.
— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) April 3, 2022
An independent investigation is urgently needed.
Perpetrators of war crimes will be held accountable.
The EU has imposed several waves of punishing sanctions on Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine.
But the 27-nation bloc has stopped short of imposing an embargo on the Kremlin's oil and gas exports as some member states still rely heavily on Russian fossil fuels.
France could come under greater pressure to accelerate weapons deliveries to Ukraine in the wake of the apparent execution of civilians and discovery of mass graves in Bucha.
Macron has spoken repeatedly with Russian leader Vladimir Putin since the February 24 invasion of Ukraine and has been wary of provoking the Kremlin, calling deliveries of tanks or aircraft to Ukraine "red lines".
(with newswires)
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