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Russia 'must answer for crimes' in Ukraine, says Macron

AFP/The Local France
AFP/The Local France - [email protected]
Russia 'must answer for crimes' in Ukraine, says Macron
An elderly woman cries near her house in Bucha, northwest of Kyiv, on April 2, 2022, where the town's mayor said 280 people had been buried in a mass grave. An Austrian parliamentary delegation will visit Bucha Tuesday. (Photo by RONALDO SCHEMIDT / AFP)

French President Emmanuel Macron condemned on Sunday the "unbearable" images of murdered civilians in the Ukrainian town of Bucha and said Russian authorities "must answer for these crimes".

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"On the streets, hundreds of civilians cowardly murdered," Macron wrote on Twitter, in reference to the town outside Kyiv from which Russian forces recently withdrew.

Shocking images of dead civilians who line the streets of Bucha emerged on Saturday, which have been met with international condemnation from Western leaders.

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This marked the same day Ukraine declared the town liberated from Russian military.

More than 300 residents of Bucha have been killed, mayor Anatoliy Fedoruk told Reuters on Saturday. A mass grave is still open in one churchyard with hands and feet visible through the ground, he claimed.

French foreign affairs minister Jean-Yves Le Drian condemned "in the strongest terms" the alleged "massive abuses".

He said France will collaborate "to ensure these acts don't go unpunished and that those responsible are being sent to trial and convicted," reported Sky news.

Western powers overall are reportedly working with Ukrainian authorities and the International Criminal Court to bring those responsible for the civilian killings to justice.

Macron's denouncement of Russia's actions come after Poland's deputy prime minister criticised France for being too close to Russia.

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Anonymous 2022/04/04 15:18
How convenient and now Macron wants more sanctions. It is not Russia but the Ukraine government that released criminals from prison and distributed firearms to the civil population.
Anonymous 2022/04/03 20:39
Russia is not under the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court just like other countries that escaped facing justice such as America over the Iraq war.

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