Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky has compared Russian forces to Islamist terrorists for the horrific war crimes carried out by retreating soldiers.
In an impassioned speech, Zelensky urged the UN Security Council in New York to set up Nuremberg-style war trials akin to those held after the defeat of the Nazis.
Zelensky detailed reports of how Vladimir Putin’s troops killed hundreds as they retreated from Bucha, a suburb near Kyiv in the month-long conflict which has seen over 3,000 civilians killed.
During the UK-convened meeting of the UN’s most powerful body, whose membership includes Russia, Zelensky called for those responsible to be “brought to justice” in a tribunal similar to the Nuremberg trials.
Speaking to the council, Zelensky said: “There is not a single crime they [Russia] would not commit there, the Russian military surged and purposefully shot and killed anyone who served our country.”
“They shot and killed women outside their houses when they just tried to call someone who is alive. They killed entire families, adults and children and they tried to burn the bodies.”
He continued: “I am addressing you on behalf of the memory of the deceased every single day and the memory of the civilians who were shot and killed in the back of their head after being tortured.”
Zelensky compared the Russian army’s actions to “other terrorists,” such as Daesh, accusing the Russian Army of horrific war crimes, such as crushing civilians in their cars to death with tanks “for their pleasure,” and raping and killing women in front of their children.
he said some had their tongues pulled out because “the aggressor did not hear what they wanted to hear from them” .
He said: “This is no different from other terrorists such as Daesh ... and here it’s done by a member of the United Nations Security Council”.
Ukraine’s leader told world leaders that the horrors of Bucha is being repeated elsewhere in Ukraine, warning that “the most terrible war crimes of all times, that we’ve seen since the end of World War Two, have been committed”.
Zelensky accused Russia of “wanting to turn Ukraine into silent slaves” and its military of “wide-scale looting”, stealing everything from food to bloodied jewellery.
Calling for Russia to be removed from the security council, a move which Russia and China would block.
Nonetheless the Ukrainian leader said the council should “remove Russia as an aggressor and a source of war so it cannot block decisions about its own aggression, its own war”.
In other developments:
– A Ukrainian MP representing Odessa, suggested Britain had sent Harpoon anti-ship missiles, a move not confirmed by the UK MoD.
– Labour renewed calls for Russian ambassador to the UK to be expelled as Italy, Germany and France kicked out dozens of diplomats.
– Foreign Secretary Liz Truss was in Poland and vowed to use Thursday’s meeting of G7 and Nato allies to press for further sanctions.
– The EU proposed a multibillion-pound ban on coal imports from Russia under a wave of sanctions that will cut off four key Russian banks.
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