- Russia orders an official examination of what it calls Ukrainian “provocation” after Kyiv accused the Russian military of massacring civilians in Bucha.
- Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez says he has seen signs of a possible “genocide” in Bucha.
- United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres says he was “deeply shocked” by images of dead civilians in the town of Bucha, near the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv and calls for an independent investigation.
- Ukraine’s prosecutor general says the bodies of 410 civilians have been recovered from areas in the wider Kyiv region from which Russian forces withdrew.
- Moscow requests the UN Security Council to convene to discuss what it called a “provocation by Ukrainian radicals” in Bucha.
Here are the latest updates:
Spanish PM: Possible ‘genocide’ in Ukraine
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez says he has seen signs of a possible “genocide” in Ukraine after claims that Russian forces committed atrocities against Ukrainian civilians in Bucha.
“We will do everything to ensure that those who have perpetrated these war crimes do not go unpunished, and therefore appear before the courts… to deal with these alleged cases of (crimes against) humanity, war crimes and why not say it too, genocide,” he said.
“Putin’s unjustified aggression has brought war back to the gates of the European Union”, he told an economic forum in Madrid.
Sanchez is one of the first European Union leaders to label Russia’s actions in Ukraine a “genocide”.
Russia orders probe of Ukrainian ‘provocation’ over civilian deaths in Bucha
Russia’s chief investigator says he has ordered an official examination of what he called a Ukrainian “provocation” after Kyiv accused the Russian military of massacring civilians in the town of Bucha.
Alexander Bastrykin, head of the Russian Investigative Committee, ordered that a probe be opened on the basis that Ukraine had spread “deliberately false information” about Russian armed forces in Bucha, the committee said in a statement.
Germany main roadblock for tougher Russian sanctions: Poland’s PM
Poland’s Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki says Germany is the main roadblock to imposing tougher sanctions on Russia, adding that Hungary was not blocking them.
Morawiecki comment comes after Prime Minister Viktor Orban won a national election on Sunday after facing criticism over an insufficiently tough stance on Russian aggression in Ukraine.
“We have to see that, regardless of how we approach Hungary, this is the fourth such win and we have to respect democratic elections … it’s Germany that is the main roadblock on sanctions. Hungary is for the sanctions,” Morawiecki said.
Ukraine: 161 children killed in Russia’s war
Ukrainian prosecutors say at least 161 children have been killed in Ukraine since the Russian invasion began on February 24.
Some 425 have been wounded, the General Prosecutor’s Office said on Facebook.
Most of them lost their lives in the southeastern Donetsk region that is partially controlled by separatists and Russian troops (78), around Kyiv (75) and the eastern region of Kharkiv (59), it said.
Macron: New sanctions on Russia needed after Bucha killings
French President Emmanuel Macron says more sanctions on Russia are needed after Ukraine accused Russian forces of the killings of civilians in the Ukrainian town of Bucha.
Macron told France Inter radio that there were “very clear clues” indicating that Russian forces were responsible for war crimes in Ukraine.
Russia on Sunday denied its forces were responsible for the deaths of civilians in the town of Bucha and said Ukraine had staged a performance for the Western media.
Ukraine forces repel Russian attacks in Donetsk, Luhansk regions: Army
Ukraine’s army says they repelled seven Russian attacks overnight in the southeastern Donetsk and Luhansk region, where Russia concentrated its offensive after retreating from around Kyiv.
Ukrainian air defence forces shot down three Russian planes, one helicopter and two cruise missiles, the army said on Facebook
Ukraine’s agriculture minister warns of global food prices
Ukraine’s agriculture minister says he expects “quite a large harvest” this year and hopes Kyiv will be able to export grain, but warned that continuation of the war would mean higher prices for all countries.
The minister, Mykola Solskyi, said the situation was “difficult” with fuel, which is needed for spring fields.
Russia says footage in Ukraine’s Bucha was ‘ordered’ to blame Russia
Russia’s foreign ministry says footage of dead civilians in the Ukrainian town of Bucha had been “ordered” by the United States as part of a plot to blame Russia.
“Who are the masters of provocation? Of course the United States and NATO,” ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in an interview on state television.
Zakharova said the immediate Western outcry over the images of dead civilians indicated the story had been part of a plan to sully Russia’s reputation.
“In this case, it seems to me that the fact that these statements (about Russia) were made in the first minutes after these materials appeared leaves no doubt as to who ‘ordered’ this story.”
UK says Russian forces continue to refocus their offensive into the Donbas region
British military intelligence says Russian forces are continuing to consolidate and reorganise as they refocus their offensive into the Donbas region in the east of Ukraine.
Russian troops, including mercenaries from the Russian state-linked Wagner private military company, are being moved into the area, the Ministry of Defence tweeted in a regular bulletin.
Latest Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine – 4 April 2022
Find out more about the UK government’s response: https://t.co/vU5ocGdpuw
🇺🇦 #StandWithUkraine 🇺🇦 pic.twitter.com/b6zWoAJQ2e
— Ministry of Defence 🇬🇧 (@DefenceHQ) April 4, 2022
Serbia’s Vucic says Ukraine crisis had a ‘huge influence’ on presidential election results
Serbia’s President Aleksander Vucic, who claimed a landslide victory in Sunday’s presidential election, says the conflict in Ukraine played a key role in the election outcome.
“The influence of the Ukrainian crisis on the election results was huge,” the president said in his victory speech, adding that Serbia has no plans to deviate from its balancing act between the EU and close ties with Russia and China.
“We will maintain policy that is important for the Europeans, Russians and Americans, and that is … military neutrality,” he said.
“Serbia will try to preserve friendly and partnership relations in many areas with the Russian Federation.”
Pollsters IPSOS and CeSID predict Vucic will end up with nearly 60 percent of the vote.
UK’s Johnson pledges to ‘starve Putin’s war machine’ over Bucha killings
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson says Russia’s attack on Ukrainian civilians in towns on the outskirts of Kyiv “are yet more evidence that Russian President Vladimir Putin and his army are committing war crimes in Ukraine”.
Johnson called the attacks in the towns of Irpin and Bucha “despicable” and said he “will do everything in my power to starve Putin’s war machine”.
Johnson added that the United Kingdom will step up its sanctions and military support for Ukraine, but did not provide details.
NATO’s Stoltenberg condemns Bucha killings
Jens Stoltenberg, the secretary-general of NATO, has said that the graphic images coming out of Bucha after Russian troops withdrew show “a brutality against civilians we haven’t seen in Europe for decades”.
He told broadcaster CNN’s State of the Union that “it’s absolutely unacceptable that civilians are targeted and killed” and that it was Russian President Vladimir Putin’s responsibility to stop the war.
Stoltenberg said it was “extremely important” that the International Criminal Court open an investigation into potential war crimes in Ukraine and that those responsible are held to account.
Russian forces withdrawing from Sumy: Governor
Russian forces are withdrawing from northeastern Sumy and are taking their equipment with them, according to the region’s governor.
In a Telegram post, Dmytro Zhyvytsky said Ukrainian forces had pushed the Russian troops out, but warned that small groups of soldiers may still remain.
Al Jazeera could not verify the report independently.
Several killed in Kharkiv attack
Russian shelling of Kharkiv has killed at least seven people and wounded 34, including three children, according to the city’s prosecutor’s office.
In a Telegram post, the prosecutor’s office said 10 houses and a trolleybus depot were damaged in the attack on Sunday evening.
Al Jazeera could not verify the report independently.
UN confirms 1,417 civilian deaths in Ukraine
The UN human rights office says it has verified 1,417 civilian deaths in Ukraine, but says the actual toll is “considerably higher” as figures from areas such as Mariupol and Irpin are yet to be corroborated.
In its latest update, the agency said the victims include 121 children. It added that 2,038 others have been wounded.
From 24 Feb—2 April, we recorded 3,455 civilian casualties in context of Russia’s armed attack against #Ukraine: 1,417 killed, incl 121 children; 2,038 injured, incl 171 children, mostly caused by shelling & airstrikes. Actual toll is much higher. Update https://t.co/hA17imOEQW pic.twitter.com/5F56ZGK9Jo
— UNHumanRightsUkraine (@UNHumanRightsUA) April 3, 2022
Polish leader calls for more weapons after Bucha killings
Polish President Andrzej Duda has called on Western allies to provide more weapons to Ukraine after the discovery of hundreds of bodies in areas occupied by Russian troops.
“Pictures from Bucha disprove the belief that we have to seek a compromise at any cost,” Duda wrote on Twitter. “In fact, the Defenders of Ukraine need three things above all: weapons, weapons and more weapons.”
Criminals must be called criminals, brought to justice and sentenced. Pictures from #Bucha disprove the belief that we have to seek a compromise at any cost. In fact, the Defenders of Ukraine need three things above all: weapons, weapons and more weapons. #StandWithUkraine
— Andrzej Duda (@AndrzejDuda) April 3, 2022
Zelenskyy pledges to continue Russia talks despite atrocities in Ukraine
Ukraine’s president has told the CBS network that he remained committed to peace talks with Russia despite the “atrocities” Russian forces were committing in his country.
“It’s difficult to say how, after all what has been done, we can have any kind of negotiations with Russia. That’s on the personal level. But as a president, I have to do it. Any war has to end,” he said in an excerpt of the interview posted on Facebook.
“There’s no any other way, but the dialogue, if we don’t want hundreds of thousands, millions to die.”
Zelenskyy appeals for support in Grammy video appearance
Ukraine’s president has appeared in a video aired at the Grammy Awards in the US and appealed to viewers to support Ukrainians “in any way you can.”
“What is more opposite to music? The silence of ruined cities and killed people,” said Zelenskyy in the video that aired ahead of a performance by John Legend and Ukrainian poet Lyuba Yakimchuk.
“Fill the silence with your music. Fill it today, to tell our story. Support us in any way you can. Any, but not silence,” he said.
Israel condemns killings in Bucha
Israel’s foreign minister is condemning the reported atrocities in Ukraine, saying deliberate harm to civilians is a war crime.
Foreign minister Yair Lapid wrote on Twitter that “it is impossible to remain indifferent in the face of the horrific images from the city of Bucha, near Kiev, from after the Russian army left”.
He added, “Intentionally harming a civilian population is a war crime and I strongly condemn it.”
It is impossible to remain indifferent in the face of the horrific images from the city of Bucha near Kiev, from after the Russian army left.
Intentionally harming a civilian population is a war crime and I strongly condemn it.
— יאיר לפיד – Yair Lapid🟠 (@yairlapid) April 3, 2022
Germany registers more than 300,000 refugees from Ukraine
Germany’s interior ministry says the country’s federal police have registered 303,474 refugees from Ukraine since the Russian invasion.
“Most of them are women, children and old people.”
Hungary’s Orban mocks Zelenskyy after election victory
Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban has won a fourth consecutive term in office after a campaign overshadowed by the war in Ukraine.
Addressing a jubilant crowd in Budapest, Orban said Sunday’s victory had come against all odds.
“We never had so many opponents,” the 58-year-old said, reeling off a list that comprised “Brussels bureaucrats … the international mainstream media, and finally the Ukrainian president.”
Zelenskyy has singled Orban out for criticism over his reticence to take a tougher stance against Russia.
Read more here.
Ukraine military claims control of towns in Chernihiv region
The Ukrainian military says that its forces have retaken some towns in the Chernihiv region and that humanitarian aid is being delivered.
The news agency RBK Ukraina says the road between Chernihiv and the capital of Kyiv is to reopen to some traffic later on Monday.
Chernihiv is a city 80 miles (129km) north of Kyiv and it had been cut off from shipments of food and other supplies for weeks. Its mayor has said that relentless Russian shelling had destroyed 70 percent of the city.
Italy politician calls for Russian oil embargo over Bucha killings
The head of Italy’s Democratic Party has called for a full oil and gas embargo in reaction to images emerging of atrocities against civilians by Russian soldiers retreating from the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv.
“How many #Bucha before we move to a full oil and gas Russia embargo,” Enrico Letta wrote on Twitter on Sunday. “Time is over.”
Italy gets 40 percent of its natural gas from Russia and officials have said it would take three years to make the transition to other sources.
How many #Bucha before we move to a full oil and gas Russia embargo? Time is over.
— Enrico Letta (@EnricoLetta) April 3, 2022
Russia must be held accountable for Ukraine civilian deaths: Trudeau
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has condemned the “egregious and appalling” killings of civilians in the Ukrainian town of Bucha, saying Russia must be held to account.
“We strongly condemn the murder of civilians in Ukraine, remain committed to holding the Russian regime accountable,” Trudeau wrote on Twitter.
“Those responsible for these egregious and appalling attacks will be brought to justice,” he added.
We strongly condemn the murder of civilians in Ukraine, remain committed to holding the Russian regime accountable, and will continue to do everything we can to support the people of Ukraine. Those responsible for these egregious and appalling attacks will be brought to justice. https://t.co/YDwJ0n693m
— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) April 3, 2022
EU must discuss import ban on Russian gas: German minister
Germany’s defence minister has said the European Union must discuss banning the import of Russian gas after Ukrainian and European officials accused Russian forces of committing atrocities near Kyiv.
“There has to be a response. Such crimes must not remain unanswered,” the defence ministry quoted Christine Lambrecht as saying in an interview with the public broadcaster, ARD.
Earlier, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Western allies would agree to further sanctions on Russia in the coming days.
Satellite images show Bucha mass grave site
Satellite images of the Ukrainian town of Bucha show an approximately 45-foot-long (14-metre) trench dug into the grounds of a church where a mass grave has been identified, a private US company has said.
The images, captured on March 31, followed previous imagery from March 10 that show signs of excavation on the grounds of the Church of St Andrew and Pyervozvannoho All Saints, Maxar Technologies said.
Russia says Kyiv attempts to disrupt peace talks with Bucha ‘provocation’
Russia’s foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova says Moscow requested a UN Security Council meeting to discuss Kyiv’s attempts to disrupt peace talks and escalate violence with a “provocation” in Bucha.
“Russian Federation requested a meeting of the U.N. Security Council in connection with the provocation of the Ukrainian military and radicals in the city of Bucha,” Zakharova wrote on her Telegram channel.
“The idea behind the next crime of the ‘Kyiv’s regime’ is the disruption of peace negotiations and the escalation of violence.”
UK military intelligence says heavy fighting continues in Mariupol
Heavy fighting has continued in the southern Ukrainian city of Mariupol as Russian forces attempt to take the strategic port city, British military intelligence has said.
“The city continues to be subject to intense, indiscriminate strikes but Ukrainian forces maintain a staunch resistance, retaining control in central areas,” the Ministry of Defence said.
UN chief urges independent probe of civilian deaths
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has said he was “deeply shocked” by images of dead civilians in the Ukrainian town of Bucha, and called for an independent investigation that “leads to effective accountability”.
Guterres posted his comments on Twitter a day after witnesses and officials said that Russian troops killed hundreds of civilians as they withdrew from the town near Kyiv.
“I am deeply shocked by the images of civilians killed in Bucha, Ukraine,” Guterres said, joining Western officials in expressing outrage.
“It is essential that an independent investigation leads to effective accountability,” he said.
Welcome to Al Jazeera’s continuing coverage of the war in Ukraine.
Read all the updates from Sunday, April 3 here.
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