Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, addressing the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) on Tuesday, 5 April, for the first time since Russia’s invasion, challenged the UN to "act immediately" or "dissolve yourself altogether", in the aftermath of the Bucha killings.
Zelenskyy said that he was addressing the UNSC on behalf of the victims of Russia, alleging that Russian troops had killed civilians and raped women in the country. "What Russian military did in Bucha is cruelty. The UN Charter has been violated literally. The massacre in Bucha is only one of many examples," he said.
As many as 410 bodies have been recovered from the wider Kyiv region that has been reclaimed from the Russian forces in Ukraine, officials had said on Sunday. Russia, however, has denied any violence against civilians.
During the address, the Ukrainian president also aired a graphic video showing the dead bodies left behind in Bucha, a town outside Kyiv.
He said, "They (Ukrainians) were killed in their apartments, houses, blowing up grenades, civilians were crushed by tanks while sitting in their cars in the middle of the road, just for their pleasure. They cut off limbs... slashed their throats," news agency AFP reported.
He added, "Women were raped and killed in front of their children, their tongues were pulled out only because the aggressors did not hear what they wanted to hear from them. So this is no different from other terrorists such as Daesh who occupied some territory, and here it is done by a member of the United Nations Security Council.”
Calling for Moscow's expulsion from the UNSC, Zelenskyy demanded that Russia should be brought before an international tribunal to answer for its "crimes".
However, Zelenskyy told the UN, "If there is no alternative and no option, then the next option would be to dissolve yourself altogether.”
Meanwhile, Russia, as one of the five permanent members of the Security Council, has a veto, which it has repeatedly used to block resolutions and negotiations on the global stage. It has also vehemently denied the allegations stating that no witnesses have confirmed the allegations.
(With inputs from AFP.)
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)