April 4, 2022 Russia-Ukraine news

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has called on the International Criminal Court to investigate the apparent killing of civilians in Bucha, northwest of Kyiv.

Kuleba accused Russian troops of killing civilians “out of anger” while occupying and later withdrawing from Bucha.

Some context: Shocking images show at least 20 civilian men’s bodies strewn across the street in Bucha following the withdrawal of Russian forces from the area. A mass grave was also discovered in the town. A CNN team saw at least a dozen bodies in body bags piled inside the grave, with Bucha's mayor saying there could be up to 300 victims buried on site.

Leaders across the European Union and NATO were quick to denounce the civilian deaths, with some calling for accountability and investigations for war crimes. Russia has dismissed photos of the dead as fake.

Read more about Bucha here:

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At a mass grave in a Kyiv suburb, the sense of loss is impossible to measure

Russian military forces are "continuing to consolidate and reorganize as they refocus their offensive into the Donbas region in the east of Ukraine,” the UK Ministry of Defense said in an intelligence update Monday.

“Russian troops, including mercenaries from the Russian state-linked Wagner private military company, are being moved into the area,” the MoD added.

Some context: The update comes after US officials familiar with the latest US intelligence assessments said Russia has revised its Ukraine war strategy to focus on trying to take control of the Donbas and other eastern regions, with a target date of early May.

British officials have noted throughout the last week that fighters from the Wagner mercenary group would likely be used by Russia, in large part due to low morale among Russian forces and the stalled efforts of their invasion.

As of Sunday, at least 1,417 civilians have died in Ukraine since the Russian invasion began, the UN Human Rights office (OHCHR) said Monday.

Of those who died, at least 121 were children, according to OHCHR. At least 2,038 civilians have been injured.

Many of the killings occurred in Ukrainian-controlled parts of the country, which have suffered heavy bombardment from Russian forces — including areas in western Ukraine far from the frontlines. At least 67 of the deaths occurred in the eastern Donetsk and Luhansk self-declared republics, according to the statement.

The UN OHCHR warned the civilian death toll is likely to be much higher.

Never again, the phrase often uttered after crimes against humanity, in practice, almost never means never again.

Sickening scenes of mass graves and murdered civilians in Ukraine this weekend, revealed by the pullback of Russian troops from Kyiv, are jolting the world back to some of humanity's cruelest outrages.

Perhaps there's a slim chance that such horrific footage will come to be emblematic of a turning point in the war by catalyzing more robust Western action and a new diplomatic commitment that could turn the tide of the conflict further against Russia.

But the only conceivable way that Ukrainian civilians could be made safe is if Western forces intervene in the conflict or Russian President Vladimir Putin suddenly calls off his onslaught.

Neither is likely to happen — not least because the West has imposed limits on its own action to avoid a direct conflict with nuclear-armed Moscow. And the Russian leader has always seen the lives of civilians in his way as cheap.

Still, the evidence of atrocities underscores a tragic realization that such evil is not simply the historic legacy of long-past wars.

Read the full analysis here:

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Analysis: Latest atrocities in Ukraine were inevitable and won't be the last

Russian forces are "actively withdrawing" from the Sumy Oblast in northeastern Ukraine, according to the regional governor, and taking their equipment with them.

Last week saw an influx of Russian troops between Bilopillya and Konotop — located to the northwest of the city of Sumy — where they "were shooting indiscriminately and terrorizing the population," said Dmytro Zhyvytsky, head of the regional administration in the Sumy region, on his Telegram channel on Sunday.

Sumy region lies 30 miles (48 kilometers) from the border with Russia and was one of the first cities to have been attacked as part of the Russian invasion. 

The city of Sumy is where close to 1,700 students were forced to hide in their hostels as the invasion began.

International condemnations continued Sunday after shocking images emerged from the town of Bucha, just northwest of Kyiv, with Western leaders calling for war crimes investigations and increasing sanctions on Russia. United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said an independent probe into the killings was "essential."

Here are the latest headlines from the war in Ukraine:

Mass graves and civilians "executed": Images from AFP on Saturday show the bodies of at least 20 men found strewn across a street in Bucha, which Ukrainian officials say had just been liberated from Russian forces. The Russian Ministry of Defense claimed the extensive footage was "fake." CNN reporters also observed a mass grave in the town, with Bucha's mayor saying that there could be up to 300 victims buried on site. Mayor Anatoliy Fedoruk told Reuters the civilians had been "executed."

Zelensky outrage: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called for an end of Russian "war crimes" in a video address Sunday, and for Russian leaders to be held accountable for the military's actions. "I want all the leaders of the Russian Federation to see how their orders are being fulfilled." He earlier called the events in Bucha "genocide."

Hungary's Orban calls Zelensky an "opponent": Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said in his victory speech his re-election sends a message not only to the European Union, but also to Zelensky, who he named along with a host of other perceived grievances as "opponents." Orban is known as an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

On the ground: The besieged city of Mariupol is still a hotbed for fighting and airstrikes and remains a "key objective of the Russian invasion," the UK's Ministry of Defense said in an intelligence report. The southern coastal city of Odesa came under attack Sunday, with a local official saying a Russian missile strike had hit "critical infrastructure." The northern city of Chernihiv is about 70% destroyed following an assault by Russian troops, the city’s mayor said. And the regional military governor of Kharkiv said Russian forces had fired on a district, causing civilian casualties.

Filmmaker killed: Lithuanian documentary filmmaker Mantas Kvedaravičius was killed in Mariupol, the Ukrainian Defense Ministry’s information agency reported Sunday on Twitter. His 2011 documentary “Barzakh” focused on Russia’s war in Chechnya and earned him the Amnesty International Film Prize.

Shocking images of carnage in the town of Bucha, near the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, show civilian bodies littering the street after five weeks of near-constant firefights. 

The photos were captured by Agence France-Presse on Saturday, the same day Ukraine declared the town liberated from Russian troops.

Here's what we know so far:

Lithuanian documentary filmmaker Mantas Kvedaravičius was killed in Mariupol, the Ukrainian Defense Ministry’s information agency reported Sunday on Twitter.

Mariupol has been the center of intense bombardment from Russian strikes in recent weeks.

Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda expressed his condolences in a statement.

“We have lost not only in Lithuania, but also in the world, a well-known creator, who until the last moment, despite the danger, worked in Ukraine, which was attacked by the aggressor Russia. I wish strength and strength to M. Kvedaravičius' relatives, friends and all fans of his talent, " Nausėda said.

Lana Estemirova, the daughter of Natalia Estemirova, a human rights investigator from Chechnya who was murdered in 2009, mourned the death of Kvedaravičius on Twitter.

“Mantas was a family friend, a frequent guest in our Grozny flat. A brave and kind soul. I can’t believe this,” Estemirova said.

“RIP dearest Mantas -- a true artist, cinema poet, mysterious and brave soul. A terrible loss for Lithuanian cinema community and all the world. Our hearts are broken,” Lithuanian documentary director Giedre Zickyte said on Facebook.

In 2016, Kvedaravičius‘ documentary “Mariupolis” premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival.

His 2011 documentary “Barzakh” focused on Russia’s war in Chechnya and earned him the Amnesty International Film Prize.

In a video address, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called for an end to Russian “war crimes.”

His address came after reports of dozens of bodies found in the streets and mass graves in the Ukrainian city of Bucha.

Zelensky called on Russian leaders to be held accountable for the actions of the nation's military.

“I want all the leaders of the Russian Federation to see how their orders are being fulfilled. Such orders. Such a fulfillment. And joint responsibility. For these murders, for these tortures, for these arms torn off by explosions that lie on the streets. For shots in the back of the head of tied people. This is how the Russian state will now be perceived. This is your image,” Zelensky said.

In his address, Zelensky announced a “mechanism of justice” would be established to investigate crimes committed by Russian soldiers in Ukrainian territory. The mechanism would be supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Office of the Prosecutor General, the National Police, the Security Service, the Intelligence Service and other government branches, he said.

“This mechanism will help Ukraine and the world bring to concrete justice those who unleashed or in any way participated in this terrible war against the Ukrainian people and in crimes against our people,” he said.

Zelensky said he will provide more information on the state of Ukrainian territory that was occupied by Russian forces.

He also noted efforts are underway to restore electricity and water to Bucha, as well as reestablishing medical institutions and infrastructure.

 Zelensky once again invoked the need for stronger sanctions against Russia.

“There will definitely be a new package of sanctions against Russia. But I'm sure that's not enough. More conclusions are needed. Not only about Russia, but also about the political behavior that actually allowed this evil to come to our land,” he said.