Russia-Ukraine Crisis: Zelenskyy visits Bucha, says Russian actions make negotiations harder

Ukrainian authorities were investigating possible war crimes by Russia after finding hundreds of bodies, some bound and shot at close range, strewn around towns near Kyiv after Kremlin forces withdrew to refocus their attacks in other parts of the country. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Russia on Sunday of committing genocide in his country, as Western leaders condemned images emerging of dead Ukrainian civilians in a town abandoned by Russian forces outside the capital, Kyiv.

Ukraine's president says Russian actions in Ukraine make negotiations harder

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Monday it had become harder forUkraineto negotiate with Russia sinceUkrainehad become aware of the scale of alleged atrocities carried out by Russian troops inUkraine.

"These are war crimes and will be recognized by the world as genocide," Zelenskyy said. The Kremlin has denied any accusations related to the murder of civilians in the Ukrainian town of Bucha after corpses were discovered there.

Ukraine's President Zelenskyy visits Bucha

UkrainePresident Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Monday visited the town of Bucha outside the capital Kyiv where dozens of corpses, some with their hands bound, were discovered after Russian forces withdrew.

"Every day, when our fighters enter and retake territory, you see what's been happening," the Ukrainian leader told reporters in the town devastated by fighting, wearing a bullet-proof vest and accompanied by military personnel.

Ukraine prosecutor general to investigate events in Bucha

Some Russian troops remained in the northern Ukrainian region of Chernihiv on Monday after pulling back from around the region's main city of Chernihiv, regional governor Viacheslav Chaus said. Russia said last week it would sharply scale back military activity around Chernihiv and the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv.

Russia to again ask UNSC to discuss Bucha 'criminal provocations'

Russia on Monday will reiterate its request for the UNSecurity Council to convene a meeting over what it called the "criminal provocations by Ukrainian servicemen and radicals" in the town of Bucha, a foreign ministry official said.

The UNSecurity Council will hold a previously scheduled discussion on Ukraine on Tuesday and will not meet on Monday as requested by Russia, said Britain's mission to the United Nations, which holds the presidency of the 15-member council for April.(Reuters)

Key developments in Russia-Ukraine crisis

— Ukraine accuses Russia of massacre, city strewn with bodies

— Fill the silence with your music,' Zelenskyy tells Grammys

— Drug shortages persist in Russia after start of Ukraine war

— Ukrainian refugees find jobs, kindness as they settle in

Eight dead in Russian shelling in south Ukraine, say Kyiv prosecutors

Eight people were killed and 34 wounded in Russian attacks on two towns in southern Ukraine on Sunday, prosecutors in Kyiv said, as the West warns Moscow of more sanctions over civilian killings.

"The Russian armed forces attacked the cities of Ochakiv and Mykolaiv. Shelling damaged residents' homes, vehicles and civilian infrastructure," the Ukrainian prosecutor general said in a statement on Monday. (AFP)

Germany main roadblock for tougher Russian sanctions, Poland's PM says

Germany is the main roadblock to imposing tougher sanctions on Russia, Poland's Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said on Monday during a news conference, adding that Hungary was not blocking them.

His 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. Read more

Spanish PM sees possible 'genocide' in Ukraine

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said Monday he saw signs of a possible "genocide" in Ukraine after claims that Russian forces committed atrocities against Ukrainian civilians in Bucha, a town outside Kyiv.

"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 in Madrid.(AFP)

Russia refocusing on Donbas region, claims UK

Britain's Defence Ministry says Russia is continuing to build up both its soldiers and mercenaries in eastern Ukraine.

“Russian forces are continuing to consolidate and reorganize as they refocus their offensive into the Donbas region in the east of Ukraine," the ministry said in an intelligence update posted on social media Monday.(AP)

Poland seeks international probe of Russia's 'war crimes'

Oil climbs on supply concerns as Iran talks stall

Oil prices gained about $1 on Monday as worries over tight supplies persisted after Germany warned of more sanctions on Russia and talks to revive the Iran nuclear deal paused.

Brent crude futures were up 94 cents, or 0.9 per cent, at $105.33 a barrel by 0728 GMT while USWest Texas Intermediate crude was up 92 cents, or 0.9 per centat $100.19.(Reuters)

A woman reacts before the train leaves the eastern city of Kramatorsk, in the Donbas region on April 3, 2022. Credit: AFP Photo

Ukraine's agriculture minister warns over global prices

Ukraine's agriculture minister said on Monday he expects "quite a large harvest" this year and hopes Ukraine 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.(Reuters)

New sanctions on Russia need to tackle coal and petrol, says Macron

French President Macron says new sanctions need to act as power of dissuasion. "The new sanctions need to tackle coal and petrol," he adds.

Russia says footage in Ukraine's Bucha was 'ordered' to blame Russia

Russia's foreign ministry said that 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 late on Sunday.

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.(Reuters)

Ukraine demanded crippling new sanctions on Russia from major Western powers over what it called a "massacre" in Bucha.

Heavy fighting has continued in Mariupol as Russian forces attempt to take the southeastern port city, British military intelligence said.

Governor of the eastern Donetsk region said on Sunday shelling continued throughout the night and day. Russian shelling killed seven people in Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, the regional prosecutor's office said.

Heavy fighting has continued in Mariupol as Russian forces attempt to take the southeastern port city, British military intelligence said.

Governor of the eastern Donetsk region said on Sunday shelling continued throughout the night and day. Russian shelling killed seven people in Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, the regional prosecutor's office said.

Explosions heard in the early hours of Monday in the cities of Kherson and Odesa, in the south, while air raid sirens sounded across the east.

410 bodies in towns near Kyiv, says Ukraine, calls for ICJ probe

Ukraine said it found 410 bodies in towns near Kyiv, the capital, in an investigation into possible war crimes, and called for an International Criminal Court probe. France and Britain said they would support an investigation.

Russia said alleged "crimes" by its troops in Bucha were a "provocation" and no resident suffered.

Satellite images showed a 45-foot (14-m) -long trench dug into the grounds of a church where a mass grave was found.

Ukraine said 50 of some 300 bodies, found after Russian forces withdrew from Bucha northwest of Kyiv, were victims of extra-judicial killings carried out by Russian troops.

Ukrainian authorities were investigating possible war crimes byRussiaafter finding hundreds of bodies, some bound and shot at close range, strewn around towns near Kyiv after Kremlin forces withdrew to refocus their attacks in other parts of the country.

'Fill the silence with your music,' Zelenskyy tells Grammys

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Russian military denies killing civilians in Bucha

Russia's defence ministry said Sunday its forces did not kill civilians in Bucha, a town outside Ukraine's capital Kyiv recently retaken by Ukrainian soldiers from Moscow's troops.

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Zelenskyy says created 'special mechanism' to investigate Russian 'crimes' in Ukraine

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