It was the day of a new massacre and new closures of diplomacy between the West and Russia. An ordinary station, with people waiting to get on the trains. Fifty dead, including five children, and at least one hundred injured: this is the provisional toll of the missile attack launched by Russia on the Kramatorsk railway station, in the eastern part of Ukraine, with a Russian-speaking majority. Four thousand people were waiting to get on the trains to escape. The mayor of the city said that hospitals are unable to accommodate all the injured, many of whom have lost legs and arms, even 30-40 are operated at a time. The massacre confirms the Russian strategy denied by Moscow: hitting civilians, without distinction.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, speaking to the Finnish parliament, said: “There were no soldiers at the Kramatorsk station”. The photo of the high-precision Russian Iskander missile with Cyrillic writing “for children” has gone viral. Moscow had said that it was a Tochka-U missile “used only by Ukrainian forces”, assuming that the massacre had been self-inflicted. The photo has taken on the outlines of yellow. The deniers refuse to believe and speak of hype. But in the meantime in Ukraine people continue to die and flee. New explosion in Odessa. The number of people who have left the country has risen to 4 million and 382 thousand since the war began on 24 February. Moscow continues to deny any atrocity and silence any voices to the contrary.
Dozens of independent organizations expelled from the Kremlin. The latest is the British Chatham House, also known as the Royal Institute of International Affairs, one of the most important international political think tanks, which until now had monitored the situation in Russia and served as a source of data and news for independent media. Other NGOs such as the National Endowment for Democracy and the International Republican Institute have been declared “unwanted”. Among them the Khodorkovsky foundation and other institutes linked to Mikhail Khodorkovsky, the exiled oligarch, considered a great opponent of Vladimir Putin. In the midst of all this, the hypothesis of Pope Francis’ visit to Kiev becomes concrete.
Russia convinced, “the special operation” could end soon
For the Kremlin, the “special operation” could end soon. The objectives of the Russian special operation in Ukraine will be achieved both militarily and within the framework of the negotiation process and the special operation could be completed “in the near future,” Kremlin spokesman Dimitri Peskov told reporters. “The operation continues – he added – we are achieving our objectives. Substantial work is being carried out both militarily, in terms of progress of the operation, and through the negotiators who are in the negotiation phase with the Ukrainian counterparts”.
EU, president von der Leyen: “Horrified”. But the oil embargo is stalled
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and High Representative for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell visited Bucha, accompanied by Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal. Commenting on the Kramatorsk massacre, von der Leyen said he was “horrified” and called the attack “despicable”. “I will personally put my condolences to President Zelensky”, she added. But the Ukrainian leader is asking for weapons and not words. “I ask you to show even more leadership – she said, speaking to the Finnish parliament – both at the level of the European Union and in bilateral relations with European countries. We need the weapons available to your EU partners ”and a“ Molotov cocktail ”of sanctions so that Russia will never forget this. It is currently unclear how much von der Leyen’s words and the effects of seeing Bucha’s dead could affect the European Union’s next steps. The EU Council of Foreign Ministers will meet on Monday but the issue of the embargo on Russian oil will not be addressed. “We have just completed the fifth package of sanctions – said a spokesman – but oil requires unanimity between member states and Europe is dependent on Russian energy”. According to British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Europe has become something that was not there before. “The Europe we knew just six weeks ago no longer exists – he said in a joint conference with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz – Putin managed to unite Europe and the entire transatlantic alliance in supporting Ukraine and showing solidarity. one with the other”.
The war of diplomacy continues
After the suspension of Russia from the UN Human Rights Council, voted yesterday by the General Assembly, today there was a new wave of expulsions at the diplomatic level. Finland has kicked out two Russian diplomats and announced that two other visas will not be renewed. Moscow expelled 45 employees of the Polish embassy in response to the announcement in Warsaw on March 23 of the removal of “45 spies who pretended to pass as diplomats”. The Kremlin also decreed the expulsion of two Bulgarian diplomats. Sofia had already called her ambassador back for consultations, after the “non-diplomatic, harsh and vulgar” comments made by the Moscow ambassador to Bulgaria.
From Slovakia anti-aircraft systems to Kiev, Russia threatens NATO
Slovakia, a NATO member, donated S-300 anti-aircraft systems to Ukraine. This was announced by Prime Minister Eduard Heger, explaining however that this act “does not mean that the Slovak Republic has become an active part in the conflict”. But in the meantime, the defense of the borders, added Heger, will be reinforced with new air defense systems. This announcement – even if it concerns defensive systems – is destined to raise the tension and cause the conflict to escalate. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova warned NATO member countries: “By continuing to provide Ukraine with additional weapons, the Alliance is leading to a prolongation of the conflict and supports the Kiev regime’s belief in impunity for war crimes and cruelty to civilians not only in Donbass, but throughout Ukraine ”.
Return to Bucha, analysis of the bodies found in the mass graves
Forensic investigators began analyzing the bodies found in one of the mass graves of Bucha, the city that has become a symbol of Russian ferocity on civilians. Two women were identified, one of whom worked in a downtown supermarket. “There are witnesses – explained Ruslan Kravchenko, from the Bucha prosecutor’s office – able to confirm that these people were killed by Russian forces. For no reason whatsoever. They were talking on the street or trying to leave the city ”. The death toll in Bucha is 360, of which about 280 were buried in mass graves by other residents.