ROME. The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky, accused Russia of being responsible for a “genocide” in Ukraine to eliminate “the whole nation” after the discovery of mass graves in Bucha. “Yes, this is genocide. The elimination of the entire nation and the Ukrainian people. In Ukraine we have citizens of more than 100 nationalities ». It is about the destruction and extermination of “all these nationalities,” adds Zelensky. “How many #Buchas does it take before moving on to a full embargo on Russian oil and gas? Time is up », writes Enrico Letta on Twitter. “The killings of civilians in Bucha represent” horrible and absolutely unacceptable acts – says NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. It is “a brutality against civilians that has not been seen in Europe for decades”, adds Stoltenberg referring to the 57 bodies found in a mass grave. “We must clarify these crimes of the Russian military in no uncertain terms,” says German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, commenting on the “frightening” images of the massacre of civilians in Bucha, in a statement released by the chancellery. “I claim that international organizations such as the International Committee of the Red Cross have access to this area, to independently document these atrocities. The executioners and their principals must be brought to justice.”
Propaganda
Russian propaganda does not stop even in the face of the most tragic evidence of the facts. What the government of Kiev has called a “deliberate massacre” of civilians in Bucha and on which the EU could decide to trigger a new round of sanctions against Moscow, is already presented as “fake news” in the Russian media that support the Kremlin “built by Ukraine to get more weapons from the West. Bucha is the second in the “important news” section of the Tsargrad TV website, the broadcaster of the orthodox oligarch Konstantin Malofeev, sanctioned by the US and the EU in 2014 for having financed the Donbass separatist militias. Tsargrad tries to dismantle the “legend” by raising questions and returning war crimes reports to the sender, without however bringing concrete evidence: “The news was kept in store for four days, there are bodies moving and there is a hand of the Ukrainian Armed Forces ».
War crimes
“What’s happening to Bucha is terrifying. The Russians are guilty of war crimes against the civilian population. The penalties must be increased », writes Carlo Calenda on his social networks. And the Action leader specifies: «However, we must be clear that the first objective must remain that of avoiding an escalation. Providing heavy offensive weapons (offensive missiles, tanks and planes) or worse, directly entering into conflict with Russia is not useful to Ukrainians and Europeans. Russian military doctrine foresees the possibility for a theater commander to use tactical nuclear weapons to avoid a breach of the lines. We must be aware that the risk that direct intervention can lead to an unconventional war. In front of the chilling images, the emotional reactions and anger are completely understandable. But in times of war, foreign policy must be done by holding one’s nerves and pondering every initiative. Bring the Russian economy to its knees and support Ukraine. We have to increase the pressure on Russia, not to start a world conflict ».
Bewilderment
“From Bucha news and images of terrible war crimes. Heartbreak for the victims. Shame and dishonor for those in charge, ”writes EU economy commissioner Paolo Gentiloni on Twitter. “The images of the victims on the street in Bucha, Ukraine, following the withdrawal of Russian troops are a punch in the stomach,” said US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
Executed in the street
The leader of the Brothers of Italy, Giorgia Meloni, observes: «The images of civilians executed in the streets and mass graves, arriving from Bucha after the withdrawal of Putin’s invasion troops, leave you breathless. A barbarism that re-emerges from the darkest epochs of European history and which we hoped never to see again. Every effort must be made for peace and to stop the aggression against Ukraine ”. And the mayor of Rome, Roberto Gualtieri writes on social media: «The images coming from Bucha are shocking. A chilling civilian massacre. Putin’s war is reaching truly unimaginable peaks of barbarism. We are, today more than ever, with the Ukrainian people ».