LAST UPDATE | 4 Apr 2022
THESE WERE THE the latest developments in the war in Ukraine today:
Good morning all. Lauren Boland here. After a brutal weekend in Ukraine, we’re here to bring you the latest developments in the war.
Here’s what you need to know so far this morning:
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has called Russian troops “murderers, torturers, rapists, looters” as Ukraine buries civilians who were killed over the weekend.
Local authorities say they have been forced to dig communal graves to bury the dead, including some found with their hands bound behind their backs, after brutal attacks in cities like Bucha, which is northwest of Kyiv, and elsewhere.
Russia is denying responsibility but Nato and the UN have voiced horror at the reports of civilian murders.
Speaking in Russian last night during his nightly addresss, Zelenskyy said: “I want every mother of every Russian soldier to see the bodies of the killed people in Bucha, in Irpin, in Hostomel.”
“I want all the leaders of the Russian Federation to see how their orders are being fulfilled.”
Pictured: A destroyed shopping centre near the bridge separating Bucha and Irpin
“What is more opposite to music? The silence of ruined cities and killed people.”
Those were Zelenskyy’s words last night as he addressed the music industry at the Grammy awards.
The Ukrainian president appeared in a pre-taped video message, asking the industry’s top artists to “fill the silence” brought by war with music.
“Our musicians wear body armour instead of tuxedos,” he said.
They sing to the wounded in hospitals — even to those who can’t hear them. But the music will break through anyway
We defend our freedom to live, to love, to sound
On our land, we are fighting Russia, which brings horrible silence with its bombs. The dead silence.
“Fill the silence with your music, fill it today to tell our story.”
He spoke ahead of a performance from John Legend of the song “Free,” joined by Ukrainian singer Mika Newton, musician Siuzanna Iglidan and poet Lyuba Yakimchuk.
This morning, the leaders of Poland and Spain have described Russia’s actions in Ukraine as genocide.
Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki called for an international investigation.
“We are proposing an international commission to investigate this crime of genocide,” he said.
Similarly, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said: “We will do everything to ensure that those who have perpetrated these war crimes do not go unpunished, and therefore appear before the courts…to deal with these alleged cases of [crimes against] humanity, war crimes and why not say it too, genocide.”
In the UK, Boris Johnson said it will be “stepping up” sanctions against Russia and military support for Ukraine, as well as “bolstering” humanitarian help.
“The UK has been at the forefront of supporting the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) investigation into atrocities committed in Ukraine,” Johnson said in a statement
“The Justice Secretary has authorised additional financial support and the deployment of specialist investigators – we will not rest until justice is served.”
Yesterday, British 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 Russia would not be allowed to cover up its involvement through “cynical disinformation”.
The latest intelligence update from the British Ministry of Defence outlines that Russian forces are refocusing their offensive in the Donbas region in eastern Ukraine.
Speaking on RTE Radio One’s Morning Ireland this morning, Minister for the Environment Eamon Ryan was asked whether there is any doubt in his mind that Russia has committed war crimes in Ukraine.
“It has to be investigated, you have to have international reports to assess and chronicle it but from what’s been seen on videos so far and international reporting, it does seem that horrific war crimes have taken place in that town, and if in that town you would have to expect that it may be elsewhere,” Ryan said.
“It’s very important that the rule of international law applies here, that it is treated and managed and dealt with through international courts and systems.”
On whether it’s time to impose an energy and trade embargo on Russia, the minister said: “Our government has taken that view has taken that position and supported some countries who who want to see that.”
“Other countries have a different perspective, they are in an immediate crisis situation should the gas be switched off, we’re less at risk in those circumstances,” he said.
“We’d be hit by the high prices but not so much by the supply risk.
“While we’ve been arguing for stronger sanctions within the union, no matter what we stay united, because if we divide within the European Union that only strengthens the Russian government and pushes the war longer.”
The European Union “will advance, as a matter of urgency, work on further sanctions against Russia”.
It has condemned atrocities reported in Ukrainian towns attacked by Russian forces.
In a statement, foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said: “We stand in full solidarity with Ukraine and the Ukrainian people in these sombre hours for the whole world.”
An EU official has told AFP that a new sanctions package on Russia will be discussed this week.
EU foreign ministers could then look it over either at their their regular meeting early next week or sooner on the sidelines of a Nato meeting on Wednesday and Thursday.
In his statement, Borrell said that the “massacres in the town of Bucha and other Ukrainian towns will be inscribed in the list of atrocities committed on European soil”.
“The Russian authorities are responsible for these atrocities, committed while they had effective control of the area,” he said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has congratulated Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban on his re-election.
Orban claimed victory this morning after his right-wing party, which has implemented contentious policies against women, LGBT+ rights, and academic freedom, won a fourth term in office.
Putin indicated he hoped to further build ties with Hungary in a statement from the Kremlin this morning.
“The head of the Russian state expressed confidence that, despite the difficult international situation, the further development of bilateral ties of partnership fully meets the interests of the peoples of Russia and Hungary,” the statement said.
Here’s where Bucha and Irpin, two key towns that Russia hit heavily this weekend, are located in relation to the capital Kyiv.
Kyiv and Irpin are between 30km and 50km apart, depending on the route – some of the roads between Kyiv and the suburbs are currently closed.
And here’s the latest map from PA charting Russia’s presence in Ukraine
That’s it from me. My colleague Jane Moore is here now to take you through the next developments.
The UN human rights chief Michelle Bachelet has said she is “horrified” by images of dead bodies in Bucha, near the Ukrainian capital, after Russian soldiers retreated, warning of possible war crimes.
“I am horrified by the images of civilians lying dead on the streets and in improvised graves in the town of Bucha in Ukraine,” Bachelet said in a statement.
“Reports emerging from this and other areas raise serious and disturbing questions about possible war crimes, grave breaches of international humanitarian law and serious violations of international human rights law,” she said.
It is essential that all bodies are exhumed and identified so that victims’ families can be informed, and the exact causes of death established. All measures should be taken to preserve evidence.
It is vital that all efforts are made to ensure there are independent and effective investigations into what happened in Bucha to ensure truth, justice and accountability, as well as reparations and remedy for victims and their families.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin has condemned the “appalling and barbaric” killing of civilians by Russian troops in Ukraine.
Speaking in Dublin this morning, Martin said the Government would support imposing further sanctions on Russia, adding that the war is “exacerbating” the cost of living crisis.
“We would support further sanctions, which in themselves has an impact on the economy, given the appalling and barbaric crimes committed by Russian Federation troops in Ukraine, particularly in the environments of Kyiv and Bucha and other towns, where we see innocent civilians murdered with their hands tied behind their backs,” he said.
This war is having an impact. But we cannot be blind in the first instance to the appalling human trauma and death that is being visited upon the people of Ukraine, and every conceivable pressure that we can now has to be put on Russia to stop this war. Stop this attack on humanity.
The Governor of Luhansk Oblast Serhiy Haidai has said there has been a “significant accumulation” of Russian troops and military equipment in the region, in apparent preparation for a major offensive.
⚡️ Governor: 'significant accumulation' of Russian forces seen in Luhansk Oblast.
— The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) April 4, 2022
“I can confirm that there is a significant accumulation of troops and military equipment that is preparing for a major offensive,” said Luhansk Oblast Governor Serhiy Haidai.
The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) has confirmed that more than 4.2 million Ukrainian refugees have now fled the country since the Russian invasion, adding that the humanitarian situation was worsening.
UNHCR said 4,215,047 Ukrainians had fled the country since the war began on 24 February 24 – a figure up 38,646 on the numbers for Sunday.
“The humanitarian needs are growing by the minute as more people flee the war in Ukraine,” the UN’s International Organization for Migration (IOM) said.
The IOM says that in addition to Ukrainian refugees, nearly 205,500 non-Ukrainians living, studying or working in the country have also left.
Meanwhile, nearly 6.48 million people were estimated to be internally displaced within Ukraine as of mid-March, according IOM.
Former German chancellor Angela Merkel has defended her 2008 decision to block Ukraine from immediately joining Nato, rejecting President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s criticism as Russia’s invasion clouds her 16-year legacy.
Zelenskyy in a night-late address had described as a “miscalculation” a Franco-German-led decision at the NATO summit in Bucharest to not admit his country to the alliance despite a push from the United States.
“I invite Ms Merkel and Mr (Nicolas) Sarkozy to visit Bucha and see what the policy of concessions to Russia has led to in 14 years,” he said, referring to the alleged atrocities against Ukrainian civilians by Russian troops that world powers have described as “war crimes”.
The Ukrainian president also accused the European leaders of seeking to appease Russia with their stance then.
But Merkel in a short statement issued by her spokeswoman said she “stands by her decisions in relation to the 2008 NATO summit in Bucharest”.
“In view of the atrocities uncovered in Bucha and other places in Ukraine, all efforts by the government and the international community to stand by Ukraine’s side and to bring an end to Russia’s barbarism and war against Ukraine have the former chancellor’s full support,” added the spokeswoman.
Germany had deemed it too early for Ukraine to join NATO in 2008 because it found that the political conditions were not met at that point.
Merkel, who retired from politics late last year after four consecutive terms in power, had once been hailed as the leader of the free world.
But Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war on Ukraine has exposed flaws in her legacy, with critics saying she left Germany and Europe vulnerable with her detente policy towards the Kremlin leader.
Under particular scrutiny is Germany’s reliance on Russian energy, which made up 36% of its gas imports in 2014 but which rose to 55% by the time of the 24 February invasion.
The dependence on Russian power has left Berlin saying it is unable to follow a call by the US and other allies to impose a full energy embargo on Moscow.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree to introduce visa restrictions for citizens of countries that Moscow deems “unfriendly” in response to sanctions over Ukraine.
According to Reuters, the decree, which comes into force today, suspends Russia’s simplified visa process with some European Union countries as well as Norway, Switzerland, Denmark and Iceland.
Superyacht owned by oligarch with ties to Putin seized in Spain
The US government has seized a mega yacht owned by an oligarch with close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
It is the first in the government’s sanctions enforcement initiative to “seize and freeze” giant boats and other pricey assets of Russian elites.
Spain’s Civil Guard and US FBI officers descended on the yacht at the Marina Real in the port of Palma de Mallorca, the capital of Spain’s Balearic Islands.
A Spanish Civil Guard spokesman confirmed that officers from the Spanish police body and from the FBI were at the marina searching the vessel on Monday morning and said further details will be released later.
The immobilised yacht is Tango, a 254-foot vessel carrying a Cook Islands flag, a Civil Guard source said, and is valued at around £91.5 million according to superyachtfan.com, a specialised website tracking the world’s largest and most exclusive recreational boats.
The yacht is among the assets linked to Viktor Vekselberg, a billionaire and close ally of Putin who heads the Moscow-based Renova Group, a conglomerate encompassing metals, mining, tech and other assets, according to US Treasury Department documents.
Vekselberg’s assets in the US are frozen and US companies are forbidden from doing business with him and his entities.
The move is the first time the US government has seized an oligarch’s yacht since attorney general Merrick Garland and Treasury secretary Janet Yellen assembled a task force known as Repo — short for Russian Elites, Proxies and Oligarchs — in an effort to enforce sanctions after Russia invaded Ukraine in late February.
That’s it from me – my colleague Céimin Burke is here for the next while to take you through the latest developments.
Zelenskyy Bucha visit
The AFP news agancy is reporting that Voldymyr Zelenskyy visited Bucha.
It comes amid continuing global outrage grows over the discovery of dozens of bodies in the Ukrainian town.
The UN’s human rights chief Michelle Bachelet said the images from Bucha point to “possible war crimes”, comments echoed by French President Emmanuel Macron.
Poland’s Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki called for an international investigation into what he labelled a “genocide” – a term that was also used by Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez.
The Ukrainian president earlier branded the Russian troops who carried out the killings “murderers.”
Zelenskyy visits Bucha
“Every day, when our fighters enter and retake territory, you see what’s been happening,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy told reporters in Bucha today.
The Ukrainian president visited the town devastated by fighting, wearing a bullet-proof vest and accompanied by military personnel.
Dozens of corpses, some with their hands bound, were discovered after Russian forces withdrew from Bucha – which is just 30 kilometres northwest of Kyiv.
Some western leaders today called for further sanctions on Russia in response to the alleged atrocities.
President Volodymyr Zelensky visited Bucha, a town northwest of Kyiv, which became the site of Russia’s bloody massacre with hundreds of civilian victims, on April 4.
— The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) April 4, 2022
Photo: AFP, Anadolu Agency/Getty Images pic.twitter.com/rvQaxoM3Yt
The Kyiv Independent news outlet has shared photos of Zelenskyy in Bucha.
The Ukrainian President said the deaths of dozens of people in the town would be deemed as “genocide” by international leaders.
“These are war crimes and it will be recognised by the world as genocide,” he said during the visit to Bucha, where bodies were discovered strewn throughout the town after it was reclaimed by Ukrainian forces.
The port city of Mariupol has been “90% destroyed” after being besieged by Russian forces, its mayor Vadym Boichenko said today.
“The sad news is that 90% of the infrastructure in the city is destroyed and 40 percent is unrecoverable,” Boichenko told a press conference.
Around 130,000 people remained trapped in the city, the mayor added.
Lithuania expels Russian ambassador
Lithuania has expelled its Russian ambassador over Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
The country’s foreign affairs minister confirmed the move on Twitter. Lithuania’s ambassador to Ukraine is also returning to Kyiv, after being withdrawn amid the invasion.
Russian ambassador was asked to leave Lithuania.
— Gabrielius Landsbergis (@GLandsbergis) April 4, 2022
Lithuanian ambassador in Ukraine is coming back to Kyiv.
That is the 🇱🇹 decision made today.
European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen has issued a statement that she held a phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky about “the dreadful murders that have been uncovered in Bucha and other areas from which Russian troops have recently left”.
Vowing justice for those found responsible, she said the European Union had set up a joint investigation team with Ukraine to gather evidence of possible war crimes.
“The EU is ready to reinforce this effort by sending investigation teams on the ground to support the Ukrainian Prosecution Services. Eurojust and Europol are ready to assist,” she said, referring to EU law enforcement organisations.
Biden calls for ‘war crimes trial’
US President Joe Biden has called for a “war crimes trial” over the killings of dozens of people in the town Bucha, 30 kilometres from Kyiv.
The Democrat added that the US is seeking more sanctions against Russia.
Hello, Gráinne Ní Aodha here to bring you the latest.
All the focus is on the atrocities that took place around Kyiv’s suburbs, with Ukrainian President Zelenskyy condemning the “war crimes” and pledging to rebuild the areas that he visited today – Bucha, Irpin, and Stoyanka.
💬@ZelenskyyUa:
— Defence of Ukraine (@DefenceU) April 4, 2022
We have strong, kind and die-hard people. Once again, I was convinced in this during a conversation at the center for the provision of humanitarian assistance in Bucha. pic.twitter.com/cioHhfhYMA
On Russian disinformation about civilian deaths
Our reporter and assistant news editor Stephen McDermott has written this piece on how Russia has responded to allegations of executions of Ukrainian citizens in the areas its troops have retreated from:
Ukrainian forces regained control of Bucha last week, but the scale of devastation and violence in the town only became apparent on Saturday when the AFP news agency reported on civilian bodies lying in the streets, some of whom had their hands tied behind their back.
It is still not known exactly what happened to those whose bodies were seen by AFP and other media in Bucha, and their causes of death have yet to be verified.
“Yet Russia, which has attempted to sow disinformation about what is happening in Ukraine since before the war began, has strongly pushed back on the reports emerging from Bucha.”
Irish MEP Barry Andrews has said that “the distressing pictures coming through this weekend of atrocities committed in Ukraine by Russian forces are heartbreaking and must be fully investigated”.
“With my group Renew Europe I am calling for a synchronised approach from the Ukrainian authorities, the EU, its Member States and agencies to collate evidence in a coordinated manner.”
Unsurprisingly, the Russian invasion is taking a physical toll on President Zelenskyy.
These photos were taken 41 days apart by the president’s photographer. The first one on the 23rd of February, the last day of peaceful Ukraine. The second one in Bucha today. pic.twitter.com/kfPU723gw1
— Katya Gorchinskaya (@kgorchinskaya) April 4, 2022
Germany has expelled a “significant number” of Russian diplomats in what Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock called a response to the “unbelievable brutality” the Kremlin had unleashed in Ukraine.
The move, AFP has learned, involves 40 envoys and follows similar moves by European partners in recent days as a reaction to Russia’s war on its neighbour.
One eye witness testimony.
“Why do you say [Russians] were horrible? What did they do?” - local journalist asks woman in Kalyta village (between Kyiv and Chernihiv).
— katerina sergatskova (@KSergatskova) April 4, 2022
“They raped me on the first day, on March 8. The commander [did it]. Vadym wasn’t at home, and they entered the village with tanks.” pic.twitter.com/UpmYngvyVm
Contains additional reporting by AFP and Press Association
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