April 3, 2022
It is a brutality against civilians we haven’t seen in Europe for decades.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg on recently reported killings in the Kyiv area of Ukraine.
- Bodies just outside of Kyiv, Ukraine, were found with marks of torture following the withdrawal of Russian forces from the area. These appear to be some of the most brutal deaths recorded since the beginning of the war, with one Ukrainian advisor comparing it to a “scene from a horror movie.”
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said, “… this is genocide … We are the citizens of Ukraine. We have more than 100 nationalities. This is about the destruction and extermination of all these nationalities.”
- European leaders have since condemned the killings, with some countries calling for increased sanctions against Moscow.
Big Picture: Russian forces have retreated from areas around Ukraine’s capital city of Kyiv and reports are now showing the extent of what has been described as war crimes carried out in the area. Since retreating from Kyiv’s outskirts, Russia has reportedly focused efforts in the Donbas region in eastern Ukraine — which includes the key port city of Mariupol. More than a third of all Ukrainian troops are estimated to be in the region, according to The New York Times.
Ukraine accuses Russia of massacre, city strewn with bodies (Associated Press)
The battle for Donbas (The New York Times)
by Jenna Lee,
