“If you think international law still makes sense, act now”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky made a televised intervention this Tuesday before the UN Security Council, which is holding a new session on the war amid growing outrage over the discovery of the bodies of dozens of civilians after Russia’s withdrawal from cities around Kiev. Allegations of war crimes and the demand for tougher sanctions against Moscow, which insists on calling the massacre a “device.”

After a visit to the city of Bucha near Kiev on Monday, Zelensky told the Security Council that “no crime has been committed there.” “Russian soldiers were killing women, families, adults, children at the doors of their homes and trying to burn corpses,” he said.

“We remember all the people who were shot in the neck,” he said, adding that Russia’s actions “are no different from the actions of other terrorist organizations such as ISIS.” “But we are talking about a member of the Security Council.”

What happened in Bucha, he said, is “just one example” of what Russia has been doing in the country for the past 41 days. “Security Council, what security guarantee does it have? Where is the peace? Where is the security? Where are the United Nations guarantees? The world sees what the Russian army has done in Bucha, but has not yet seen what it has done in other cities. Geography changes, but cruelty is the same (…). “They are destroying the cities of Ukraine with their artillery, causing famine, shooting at civilians who are trying to escape from this terrorism.”

“They feel like colonizers, they have deported hundreds of thousands of people (…) they want to make Ukraine a silent slave. “They are robbing, taking everything, food, gold items that still have blood stains on them,” he continued.

The President of Ukraine demanded that Russia be brought to justice and brought before an international court. “The Russian army and those who give the orders must be punished in a court similar to Nuremberg.

Zelensky noted that the UN is unable to take any action against Russia, given its permanent seat on the Security Council and, consequently, its veto power, which, in its view, allows them to remain unpunished and allows them to destroy everything. They can. “” Do you think that international law no longer makes sense? If your answer is no, act immediately. ”

The President of Ukraine called for the equitable representation of all regions of the world and the transformation of the United Nations system “so that the veto does not become the death penalty.” “All participants must be equal before international law.

Zelensky’s appearance on the Security Council was announced by the United Kingdom’s representative to the United Nations, Twitter, where he said the meeting was aimed at “hearing the truth about Russia’s war crimes.” The United States, for its part, has said it wants Russia to suspend its membership in the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC).

Zelensky, who is in favor of continuing peace talks, said in recent days that Russian forces were likely to try to “hide the traces of their crimes” and called for an investigation and assured that they had information about more than 300 killed and tortured. In Bucha. Ukrainian authorities say the bodies of at least 410 civilians have been found in cities near Kiev and removed by Ukrainian forces.

International journalists have been in the city of Bucha for the last few days and have counted dozens of lifeless bodies dressed in civilian clothes and apparently scattered unarmed in the streets, many being shot at close range and some handcuffed as well as bodies piled up. Common grave. They also talked to the survivors and collected testimonies about the horrors experienced during the Russian occupation.

Bucharest’s harsh images point to discussions at the UN where Russia unsuccessfully tried to convene an emergency meeting of the Security Council on Monday to address what it called “horrific provocations by Ukrainian radicals in Bucha,” a protest objected to by Russian representative Vasily. At the beginning of the meeting on Tuesday. “I want to make it clear that we are not refusing to hold a meeting,” he said.

Without providing any evidence, the Russian authorities denied responsibility and asserted that “no local person had been subjected to violence”, claiming that the information was false and intended to discredit Moscow, or that death had occurred. Attack, withdrawal of Russian forces. The Russian representative repeated these statements before the Security Council.

However, satellite images show that many of the bodies were in the open air for weeks, during the period when Russian forces were in Bucha, as analyzed by international media such as New York Times. The Kremlin also spread a joke that was dispelled by international verifiers.

Following Bucha’s pictures, several European countries, such as Spain, announced the expulsion of Russian diplomats, and the European Commission submitted a proposal to the 27 member states, which would include, for the first time, energy sanctions against Russia.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the war had led to “senseless” loss of life, the massive destruction of urban centers and the destruction of civilian infrastructure. “I will never forget the horrific images of civilians killed in Bucha,” Guterres said, adding that he was “also shocked by the personal testimony of rape and sexual assault” that is now emerging from the conflict.

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has recorded the deaths of 1,480 civilians in Ukraine since the start of the Russian invasion on February 24.