Selenski addresses the UN Security Council for the first time

new York Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky plans to address the UN Security Council on Tuesday. At least 300 civilians were killed in the Kiev suburb of Bucha, and the number could be even higher in Borodyanka and other cities.

“We are interested in an investigation that is as complete and transparent as possible,” Zelenski said in an evening video address. The results of the investigation would have to be made known and explained to the entire international community. It is important that journalists from all over the world travel to Bucha and other places to document the killing of civilians on the ground.

According to the US Department of Defense, responsibility for what is reported in many different independent reports from Bucha is clear: “I think it is quite obvious – not only to us, but to the world – that Russian forces for the atrocities in Bucha,” Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said Monday. The US could not say exactly which units were deployed there, but there is no doubt that the atrocities took place and were carried out by Russian troops, Kirby said.

The images of the probable war crimes from Bucha caused great horror around the world. Hundreds of bodies were discovered in the suburban community of the capital Kyiv over the weekend after Russian troops withdrew. Some were tied up on the street.

Fatalities were also discovered in other communities around Kiev. Ukraine blames Russian troops for this. Moscow denies this and speaks of “fake”.

According to the Ukrainian Prosecutor General’s Office, it has already registered more than 7,000 reports of Russian war crimes in the region. Most of the victims were in Borodyanka, Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova said, according to the Unian agency. “I think we will talk about Borodyanka separately.”

According to the information, the Attorney General’s Office is already working on the investigation of war crimes in Irpin, Bucha and Worsel.

US seeks war crimes trials against Russia

The United States is gathering evidence to bring the Russian government around President Vladimir Putin before the International Criminal Court or another court for war crimes. Since Russia is a permanent member of the UN Security Council, any process to hold Russia accountable there could be blocked by the government in Moscow, US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said.

There is still no evidence that the atrocities in the Ukrainian city of Bucha could be classified as genocide. However, the United States had turned to four sources to obtain evidence for a war crimes trial. This included the information that the United States and friendly countries had, among other things, from secret services, observations by Ukrainians in the country itself, findings from international organizations such as the United Nations, and interviews conducted by independent media worldwide.

US President Joe Biden had previously called for a war crimes tribunal. “You saw what happened in Bucha,” Biden told reporters at the White House. “That justifies it – he’s a war criminal,” Biden reiterated his previous statements about Putin.

Ukraine: Currently around 600 Russian POWs

According to Ukrainian sources, around 600 Russian soldiers are currently being held captive. That said the Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk early Tuesday morning, according to the “Ukrajinska Pravda” in the standard program of the Ukrainian television. They are looking for ways to reach Ukrainians in Russian POWs through the Red Cross and want to persuade Russia to release them. In the areas of the self-proclaimed People’s Republics of Donetsk and Luhansk, some people have been in Russian captivity since 2014.

USA: Russia concentrates offensive on eastern and southern Ukraine

The US government expects Russia to change course militarily in the Ukraine war and to launch an offensive primarily in the east and south of the country. Jake Sullivan, US President Joe Biden’s national security adviser, said in Washington on Monday that Russia is expected to revise its goals in light of past military failures.

“Russia is repositioning its forces to focus its offensive operations on eastern and parts of southern Ukraine.” Moscow could then use any tactical success in the new strategy to promote a narrative of progress and downplay previous military failures.

Other recent reports on the war:

Russia is likely preparing to move dozens of additional tactical battalions with tens of thousands of troops to the frontline in eastern Ukraine, Sullivan said. According to US estimates, air and missile attacks on the rest of the country are likely to continue during this new ground offensive in order to inflict military and economic damage and spread terror. That would also affect cities like Kyiv, Odessa or Lemberg.

Biden’s National Security Advisor warned that this next phase of the war should be measured “in months or longer” rather than in weeks.

The US wants to announce new sanctions against Russia this week

After the atrocities in Bucha, the US government intends to announce new sanctions against Russia later this week. Coordination with allies and partner countries is currently underway, said security adviser Sullivan. He declined to give details of the new sanctions planned or under consideration.

When asked about a possible import ban on Russian oil and gas in Europe, Sullivan said there were talks with both the EU and member states about “the full range of sanctions”. Ultimately, it is about reaching a consensus in order to further increase the pressure on Moscow.

The USA, the EU, Great Britain and other allies have already imposed numerous sanctions against Russia because of the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine. So far, the targets of the measures have included Russia’s financial system, the technology sector and high-ranking politicians and oligarchs who are seen as followers of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

With agency material

More: All developments in the Ukraine war in the Newsblog