British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, says he hopes to elicit a tough response from allies to the crisis in Ukraine now that Russia stands accused of massacring civilians, with scenes akin to a “horror movie”.
Johnson has already condemned Russia’s “despicable attacks against Ukrainian civilians in Irpin and Bucha, adding that we will not rest until justice is served.”
This week, he will welcome the Polish and German leaders to Downing Street for discussions on NATO and how to support Ukraine as it stands up to Russian aggression.
On Sunday, Johnson said “no denial or disinformation from the Kremlin can conceal that Russian President, Vladimir Putin, is desperate and his invasion is failing.”
An adviser to Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky, said dead civilians had been found on the streets of the small city of Bucha and the Kiev suburb of Irpin, in what resembled a horror movie.
In Bucha, northwest of Kiev, Ukrainian soldiers used cables to drag bodies off a street from a distance due to fears.
They may be booby-trapped as Russian troops withdraw and focus attacks on other parts of Ukraine.
Ukrainian prosecutor general, Iryna Venediktova, said the bodies of 410 civilians had been found in Kiev-area towns that were recently retaken by Russian forces.
In a statement, Johnson said Britain was stepping up its sanctions and military support, and bolstering humanitarian help for those on the ground.
“The UK has been at the forefront of supporting the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) investigation into atrocities committed in Ukraine.
“The justice secretary has authorised additional financial support and the deployment of specialist investigators we will not rest until justice is served,” he added.
The PA news agency understands this referred to support for the ICC’s investigation announced last week.
Earlier on Sunday, Foreign Secretary, Liz Truss, said “indiscriminate” attacks by Russian forces against innocent civilians in Irpin and Bucha must be investigated as war crimes.
Truss said Britain would not rest until those responsible for atrocities in Ukraine had faced justice.
He added that Russia would not be allowed to cover up its involvement through “cynical disinformation.”
Zelensky spokesperson, Sergey Nikiforov, said authorities in Ukraine had found what looked “exactly like war crimes,” including the bodies of executed civilians and mass graves.
Russia’s Defence Ministry has denied accusations of Russian troops killing civilians in Bucha.
Britain’s Ministry of Defence said in its latest intelligence update that Russian forces, including mercenaries, were refocusing their offensive into the Donbas region.
