The UN Secretary-General on Thursday asked Russia to “cooperate” with the investigation of the International Criminal Court (ICC) for possible war crimes perpetrated in Ukraine, on a visit to Bucha, a kyiv suburb that has become a symbol of atrocities committed during the Russian invasion.
(Also read: Putin cuts gas to Poland and Bulgaria launching threat to more countries)
Guterres stressed on Thursday the importance of the investigation into the possible commission of war crimes and urged Moscow to accept and collaborate in it.
“I appeal to the Russian Federation to accept and collaborate with the international criminal court,” Guterres said during his visit to the Bucha mass grave where he expressed his “full support” for the International Criminal Court’s investigation.
(You may be interested in: Vladimir Putin: President’s video revives rumors about his health)
“When we talk about war crimes we cannot forget that the worst crime is war itself“, lament the UN secretary general, visiting Ukraine to meet with its president, Volodimir Zelenski, this Thursday afternoon.
In Bucha, the UN Secretary-General’s convoy then went to the mass grave, where a priest explained how they found it full of corpses.
“When I see this horrific site, I feel how important investigation and accountability are,” said the United Nations leader.
Guterres was also in Borodyanka and Irpin, because together with Bucha they are three of the most devastated municipalities in the kyiv region.
In the central square of Borodyanka, a military spokesman explained to Guterres that 25% of the buildings were destroyed and that at least 400 civilians died, but that they are still finding bodies and exhuming bodies.
(Also: António Guterres arrived in kyiv on a peace mission to meet with Zelensky)
In the entire kyiv region, this military spokesman explained, there were 22,000 bombings, and unexploded devices continue to be located, as well as anti-personnel mines.
“When I see those destroyed buildings, I imagine my family in one of those houses that are now destroyed. I see my granddaughters running, panicking,” said Guterres, who after sending his condolences to the affected families, remarked that “war is unacceptable in the 21st century.
Guterres entered Ukraine on Wednesday across the Polish border after first meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. in a peace mission that seeks, on the one hand, to end the terror as soon as possible, and on the other, that “humanitarian aid can reach the people who need it.
“There are many parts of Ukraine that we cannot reach, for example Mariupol, or Kherson. It is urgent that an agreement be reached with humanitarian corridors and that the people who need it can be evacuated,” explain sources from the humanitarian branch of Ukraine. the UN on the purpose of this visit.
In Irpin, a municipality with a large part of its buildings destroyed by bombing, Guterres remarked that “everyone in the world has to remember one thing: whenever there is a war, the worst price is always paid by civilians.”
The UN chief will not only meet with President Zelensky and his Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba but will also meet with staff from UN agencies to discuss “how to optimize humanitarian assistance to the people of Ukraine.”
(Keep reading: Europe accuses Russia of blackmail after suspending gas supply)
Guterres proposed the creation of a Contact Group with Russia and Ukraine to “search for the possibilities of opening safe humanitarian corridors with a ceasefire to ensure that they are really effective” in the areas of Ukraine affected by the fighting.
This is the first trip Guterres has made to the two countries immersed in a war since mid-February.when Russia launched its troops against eastern and northern Ukraine, triggering the largest movement of refugees in Europe for several decades.
INTERNATIONAL WRITING*
*With information from EFE and AFP
More news
What is Transnistria and why is it Putin’s next target?
Putin and Guterres disagree radically on the war in Ukraine
Sweden and Finland would submit an application to join NATO at the same time
#António #Guterres #visits #mass #grave #Bucha #city #attacked #Russians