MOSCOW – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday accused Russia of attacking civilian targets and warned that Russian crimes in Kiev and other Ukrainian cities, towns and villages were genocide “that will lead to an international tribunal” for the perpetrators.
Speaking early Sunday, looking tired and unshaven, he said “last night was brutal” in Ukraine: “Bombing again, bombing of residential areas, civilian infrastructure again.
“The criminal actions of Russia against Ukraine bear the marks of genocide,” he said. “Russia is on the path of evil,” he said, calling for Russia to be stripped of its vote in the United Nations Security Council.
Referring to Russian forces, he said, “There is not a single thing – and not a single thing – in the country today that the occupiers would not consider a permissible target,” adding that Ukraine was gathering evidence for referral to an international court.
They fight against everyone, they fight against everything that is alive: against kindergarten, against apartment houses and even against ambulances. They are using rocket artillery and missiles against entire urban areas where there is no military infrastructure and it did not exist before.”
He spoke with palpable anger about cities subjected to indiscriminate attacks of the kind he said had not been seen in Ukraine since World War II: Kiev, Kharkiv, Vasylkiv, Chernihiv, Sumy.
Russia denied targeting civilian infrastructure during its invasion. Russia’s Defense Ministry said on Sunday it had launched long-range cruise missiles from warships and aircraft to hit “military infrastructure”.
Shortly after Zelensky’s speech, Putin released his own pre-recorded message on the occasion of Special Operations Day and congratulated the Special Forces of the Nations for their “impeccable service” with “special gratitude to those who these days are heroically performing their military duty in the course of a special operation to provide assistance to the Donbass republics.” popular”.
Zelensky also addressed the citizens of neighboring Belarus, saying that the Belarusian leader had enabled Russia to launch attacks on Ukraine from Belarusian soil.
From your territory, the forces of the Russian Federation launch missiles at Ukraine. They are killing our children from your land, destroying our homes, and trying to blow up everything that was built over decades. And by the way, not only by us, but also by our parents and grandparents.
“You have to decide who you are, you have to decide who you will be, how you will look in the eyes of your children, how you will look to each other, your neighbors. And we are your neighbors. We are your neighbors, we are Ukrainians.” “Be Belarusians, not Russia,” Zelensky said.
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