VLADIMIR Putin views Ukrainians as “traitors” to the Kremlin and is aiming to “annihilate” the country, a former White House aide has said.
Fiona Hill, a British-born foreign affairs specialist, says the Russian leader will have merely readjusted his tactics after coming up against fierce resistance from Ukraine fighters.
She told The Times: “He wants to remove them [the Ukrainians] as a threat.
“He is moving from capture to basically carnage and annihilation, I think. The Russian view of removing a threat is to crush it completely.”
Hill also claims the best route for the West to take against Putin is to impose sanctions – because he “has a high tolerance for carnage”.
She continued: “Putin has a very high tolerance for this kind of carnage, the loss of personnel. And I think he has this belief, and we’ll just have to see if this is tested, that Russians are going to go along with it.
“He is not going to sue for peace, so whatever we do to formulate the way out of this has to make Putin look, from his point of view, like he’s won something.”
Meanwhile, Ukraine leader Volodymyr Zelensky visited Bucha on Monday, where he told reporters “these are war crimes and will be recognised by the world as genocide”.
Follow our Russia-Ukraine live blog below for up-to-the-minute updates…
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UK and Japan agree more sanctions are needed
Britain’s Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said on Tuesday she had agreed with her Japanese counterpart Hayashi Yoshimasa that more sanctions against Russia are needed.
“We agreed that the international community must increase pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin and his war machine with further coordinated sanctions,” Truss said on Twitter.
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Russia threatens Wikipedia with fine is it doesn’t remove ‘false information’
Russian communications regulator Roskomnadzor said on Tuesday it wanted Wikipedia to remove “material with inaccurate information of public interest” about the situation in Ukraine.
The regulator accused Wikipedia of hosting false information on what Russia calls its “special operation” in Ukraine and on the actions of Russia’s military too.
According to Russian law, the owner of an Internet resource that does not delete illegal information when asked to do so by Roskomnadzor can be fined up to 4 million roubles ($48,120.30), the regulator said.
Russia sent tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine on Feb. 24, a move that has been met with fierce Ukrainian resistance and Western sanctions.
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Italy expels 30 Russian diplomats
Italy has expelled 30 Russian diplomats because of security concerns, Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio said on Tuesday, according to comments sent by a spokesman.
A number of other Western governments have taken similar steps following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine
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UN human rights chief ‘horrified’ by images of dead in Bucha
The UN human rights chief said Monday she was “horrified” by images of dead bodies in Bucha, near the Ukrainian capital, after Russian soldiers retreated, warning of possible war crimes.
“I am horrified by the images of civilians lying dead on the streets and in improvised graves in the town of Bucha in Ukraine,” Michelle Bachelet said in a statement.
“Reports emerging from this and other areas raise serious and disturbing questions about possible war crimes, grave breaches of international humanitarian law and serious violations of international human rights law,” she said.
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Zelensky fights back tears as he surveys brutal aftermath in Bucha
Volodymyr Zelensky fought back tears as he visited the town of Bucha where Vladimir Putin’s troops have been accused of butchering civilians and burying them in mass graves.
The Ukrainian leader, who was visibly emotional, was flanked by security as he vowed to ensure that the “war crimes” committed by Russian soldiers on his country’s soil were “the last such evil on Earth”.
Harrowing pictures from the city, to the north-west of the capital Kyiv, showed the bodies of civilians scattered in the road and in shallow graves — many with bound hands and signs of torture.
Some of them, from the wounds they had suffered, had been shot from close range.
The Kremlin claims the massacre never happened – and photos were staged for Western media.
However, a satellite image taken of Bucha at the end of last month, when Russian forces were in control of the city, shows a 45ft long mass grave dug behind a church.
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Liz Truss calls for tough approach with Russia
Liz Truss will meet with her Polish counterpart in Warsaw after leading the call for Western allies to supply Ukraine with more weapons to push back the Russian assault.
The Foreign Secretary will hold talks with foreign minister Zbigniew Rau on Tuesday on her second day in Poland’s capital.
The discussions come after Ukraine claimed victory in Kyiv but warned that Russian president Vladimir Putin is turning his attention to taking the east and the south of the embattled country.
Ms Truss used a press conference speech on Monday to call for more weapons to be supplied to Ukrainian defenders as she urged European nations to strengthen Kyiv’s position in the peace talks with Moscow.
The Cabinet minister said the UK was “pulling all the stops out in terms of supplying Ukraine with the support they need”, in a bid to end the “appalling war” and ensure Mr Putin loses.
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Russia threatens to abandon ISS
THE future of the International Space Station hangs in the balance after Russia on Saturday again threatened to abandon the project.
The head of the country’s space agency hinted that it will end cooperation on the orbiting space lab in response to international sanctions over the war in Ukraine.
Roscosmos chief Dmitry Rogozin said that a timetable for completion of the ISS project will soon be submitted to Russia’s leadership.
It follows similar threats made by the 58-year-old last month that Roscosmos later rowed back on.
Rogozin’s latest comments came after the United States, the European Union, and Canadian space agencies missed a deadline to meet Russian demands for lifting sanctions on Russian enterprises and hardware.
Rogozin told reporters that the state agency is preparing a report on the prospects of international cooperation at the station.
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Japan brings in 20 Ukrainian refugees on special flight
The Japanese government flew 20 Ukrainian refugees into Tokyo on Tuesday in a high-profile show of support for the international effort to help Ukraine by a country that has long been reluctant to take in foreigners.
The 20 – aged from 6 and 66 and including 15 women – are not the first Ukrainian refugees to arrive in Japan since Russia invaded their homeland on Feb. 24 – but they are the first to be flown in on a special government plane on a trip arranged by Japan’s foreign minister.
“The government of Japan is committed to provide the maximum support to these 20 Ukrainians to help them live with a sense of peace in Japan, even though they are far away from their home county,” Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi told reporters in Poland shortly before he and the refugees set off for Japan.
Hayashi, who had been assessing the refugee situation in Poland, flew in on a separate flight shortly before the 20 arrived.
National broadcaster NHK showed their arrival in a live broadcast. Their plane was shown on the tarmac while the 20 underwent COVID-19 tests on board, NHK said.
Ethnically homogeneous Japan has long been wary of foreign migrants despite an aging population and a chronic labour shortage but opinion polls show a vast majority of Japanese support giving sanctuary to Ukrainians.
The 20 are joining nearly 400 other Ukrainian refugees who have arrived since the Russian invasion.
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Zelensky speaks on visit to Bucha
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has spoken during his visit to Bucha.
The city is one of which Russian forces have been accused of slaughtering civilians.
He told reporters that residents were showing their humanity by ensuring homeless animals were fed.
He said: “That’s a characteristic trait of our people, I think – treat animals the way you would treat humans.”
“[But] you can see around what was done to this modern town. That’s a characteristic of Russian soldiers – treat people worse than animals. That is real genocide, what you have seen here today.”
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EU ready to send war crimes investigators
Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission President, says the EU is ready to send joint investigations teams to Ukraine to document reported war crimes.
She has tweeted after speaking to Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky.
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UK government is considering further action against Russian soldiers
The BBC have reported that senior government sources say the UK is considering further action against Russian soldiers themselves.
It’s understood this could include sanctions for what the prime minister has described as evidence of war crimes in Ukraine.
Measures being looked at, could target captains, majors and colonels in the Russian military.
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Russia’s newest £38m fighter jet burns
Ukrainian forces have claimed to have downed another Russian fighter jet with the remnants seen burning in a field.
The Su-35S, Flanker-E fighter jet, which costs £38million, was brought down near the city of Izyum, in the Kharkiv region, according to local news outlet Nexta.
MP Anton Gerashchenko said the pilot ejected and was caught as he tried to flee.
Ukraine’s military has named the Russian pilot as Major Sergei Yermalov.
He reportedly serves in the 159th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment based at Besovets airfield in the Republic of Karelia, northwest Russia.
Ukrainian authorities say they have shot down two planes and one helicopter in the past 24 hours.
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Red Cross unable to reach Mariupol
It has been reported that the Red Cross says its teams have again been unable to reach the south-eastern port city of Mariupol.
The BBC reports that the group has tried unsuccessfully for days to access the besieged city.
They have been trying to escort bus loads of civilians back into government-controlled territory.
Tens of thousands of people are still trapped with scant access to food, water and electricity.
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Putin dealt another blow by Anonymous
HACKING group Anonymous claims it has released the details of 120,000 Russian soldiers in Ukraine, in the latest cyber attack on Putin’s forces.
Names, dates of birth, addresses, and even passport numbers were included in the major hack of Russian data.
It comes after Anonymous vowed “unprecedented attacks” on Russian government sites.
In its latest statement, the group said: “Personal data of 120,000 Russian soldiers fighting in Ukraine was leaked.”
It went on: “All soldiers participating in the invasion of Ukraine should be subjected to a war crime tribunal.”
Earlier, Anonymous claimed it had made public 15 GB of data stolen from the Russian Orthodox Church’s charity wing.
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Ukraine war: The latest
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UK to push for more sanctions on Russia as evidence of Ukraine atrocities mounts
The UK is to push for tougher international sanctions against Vladimir Putin’s Russia and increase supplies of arms to Ukraine as evidence of atrocities continue to emerge from the war zone.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said “Britain will never waver from supporting our friends” in a sign of the increased commitment to defend Ukraine.
Foreign Secretary Liz Truss will meet Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba in Warsaw on Monday ahead of key G7 and Nato talks later this week where she will push for tougher economic measures against “the Putin war machine”.
Ms Truss argues that weakening Russia’s economy will help strengthen Ukraine’s hand in peace negotiations with Moscow.
She will hold talks with Polish counterpart Zbigniew Rau on Tuesday and has also pledged a £10 million civil society fund for Ukraine, including support for organisations dealing with sexual violence following reports of Russian forces using rape as a way to terrorise the civilian population.
There has also been widespread international outrage about other atrocities, including possible mass executions carried out by Russian forces as areas around the capital, Kyiv, returned to Ukrainian control.
Ms Truss said: “Putin is yet to show he is serious about diplomacy. A tough approach from the UK and our allies is vital to strengthen Ukraine’s hand in negotiations. Britain has helped lead the way with sanctions to cripple the Putin war machine.
“We will do more to ramp up the pressure on Russia and we will keep pushing others to do more. We will continue to support those who are suffering as a result of Putin’s illegal invasion of Ukraine, including the victims of sexual violence and those in need of humanitarian support.”
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PM ‘keen to send new types of military aid to Ukraine’
Boris Johnson is keen to send new types of military aid to help Ukraine, Johnson’s spokesman said on Monday.
He added that Kyiv had asked for help in defending against Russian ships.
“Certainly the prime minister is keen to look beyond what we have already provided,” the spokesman said, declining to provide specifics.
“We are aware of the requests from the Ukrainians for equipment to defend themselves from ships and we are looking into what we can do.”
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Russian TV presenter claims Ukraine army killed their own civilians in Bucha
A Russian TV presenter went on an unhinged rant on state news broadcast – claiming Ukraine is killing it’s own civilians that they deem traitors.
A tweet from the BBC’s Francis Scarr reads: “Olga Skabeyeva: “The West is using Bucha to legalise future purges in areas previously occupied by the Russian army.
“The people were killed by Ukrainian forces because they didn’t resist the Russians.
“The West is thus giving Ukraine approval to extrajudicially kill those they deem traitors”
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Eight dead and 34 wounded after shelling in southern Ukraine
Eight people were killed and 34 wounded in recent Russian attacks on two towns in southern Ukraine, prosecutors in Kyiv said Monday.
Referring to attacks on Sunday, Ukrainian Prosecutor General said in a statement: “As a result of enemy shelling, seven residents of Ochakiv were killed and another 20 were injured.
“In the city of Mykolaiv one person died and 14 people were wounded, among them a child.”
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United States backing international prosecutors team
The US is supporting a multi-national team of international prosecutors going to the region to collect, preserve and analyse evidence, at the request of Ukrainian officials according to the US State Department.
The aim is to pursue criminal accountability against Russia.
A spokesperson for the State Department said: “Those responsible for atrocities must be held accountable as must those who ordered them.
“They cannot and will not act with impunity.”
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France will expel Russian diplomats
France is the latest country to decide to expel Russian diplomatic staff.
Its foreign ministry announced it was expelling many Russian diplomats.
The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement that “their actions go against our national security interests.”
“This move is part of a European initiative.”
The French news agency AFP quoted a source close to the Foreign Ministry as saying 35 people would be expelled.
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Russia will face ‘maximum sanctions’ following its war crimes, warns Liz Truss
RUSSIA will face “maximum sanctions” and new Western weapons following its war crimes, Liz Truss said yesterday.
The Foreign Secretary condemned the “butchery” and “barbaric crimes” committed as Putin’s troops retreated from Kyiv.
She called for Russia to be booted out of the UN Human Rights Council,
Her demand came after a meeting with Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba in Poland.
Meanwhile, American President Joe Biden called Putin a “war criminal” saying he would face a “war crimes trial”.
He said: “This guy is brutal, and what’s happening in Bucha is outrageous.”
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Zelensky says ‘it’s difficult to talk’ as he surveys brutal aftermath of invasion
President Zelensky said “it’s very difficult to talk” as he surveyed the destruction and mass graves in Bucha.
The Ukrainian leader, 44, added that Putin’s troops committed war crimes and genocide in the city where 400 civilians were killed.
President Zelensky, surrounded by military personnel, said today: “It’s very difficult to talk when you see what they’ve done here.
“Every day we find people in barrels, cellars and where else. Some strangled, some clearly tortured.
“These are war crimes and will be recognised by the world as genocide.
“We know of thousands of people killed and tortured, with severed limbs, raped women and murdered children.”
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PM ‘keen to send new types of military aid to Ukraine’
Boris Johnson is keen to send new types of military aid to help Ukraine, Johnson’s spokesman said on Monday.
He added that Kyiv had asked for help in defending against Russian ships.
“Certainly the prime minister is keen to look beyond what we have already provided,” the spokesman said, declining to provide specifics.
“We are aware of the requests from the Ukrainians for equipment to defend themselves from ships and we are looking into what we can do.”
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UN human rights chief ‘horrified’ by images of dead in Bucha
The UN human rights chief said Monday she was “horrified” by images of dead bodies in Bucha, near the Ukrainian capital, after Russian soldiers retreated, warning of possible war crimes.
“I am horrified by the images of civilians lying dead on the streets and in improvised graves in the town of Bucha in Ukraine,” Michelle Bachelet said in a statement.
“Reports emerging from this and other areas raise serious and disturbing questions about possible war crimes, grave breaches of international humanitarian law and serious violations of international human rights law,” she said.
