STRATEGIC ASSESSMENT-Russia on Tuesday accused Ukraine of staging new civilian deaths in a number of locations in an effort to pin the blame on Moscow.
The Russian Defense Ministry made the assertion after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky demanded tough new sanctions on Moscow over killings in the town of Bucha that have prompted international condemnation.
The Russian Defense Ministry said on Tuesday that the Ukrainian military recorded a fake video that purported to show “peaceful civilians allegedly killed by the Russian Armed Forces.”
The video was made on Monday evening in the settlement of Moshchun some 20 kilometers (12 miles) northwest of Kyiv and was designed to be distributed through Western media, Moscow said.
“Similar events are now being organized by the Ukrainian special services in Sumy, Konotop and other cities,” the Russian Defense Ministry said, referring to cities in north-eastern Ukraine.
The photo above has a lot of irregularities, after the photo and video the corpse disappeared, got up and went back to the bunker.
The ministry did not say how it obtained the information in its statement.
At the weekend, dozens of bodies were discovered in Bucha near Kyiv after the withdrawal of Russian troops. Ukrainian officials said some had their hands bound behind them.
Ukraine has blamed Russian forces, with Zelensky describing the killings as “war crimes” and “genocide.”
Moscow denies any responsibility, saying that the images are fake or that the deaths occurred after Russian forces pulled out of the area.
The Kremlin repeated the denial on Tuesday, adding the West wanted to “smear” the Russian army.
“We still insist that any accusations against the Russian side, against the Russian military are not just groundless,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
“This is a well-directed show. Nothing else. A tragic show.”
He said Russia would continue to promote its version of events. “We won’t sit idle,” he added.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Tuesday said the discovery of bodies in the Ukrainian town of Bucha was a “provocation” aimed at scuppering talks between Moscow and Kyiv.
“A question arises: What purpose does this blatantly untruthful provocation serve? We are led to believe it is to find a pretext to torpedo the ongoing negotiations,” Lavrov said in a video message broadcast on Russian television.
Talks between Russia and Ukraine have continued after their top diplomats met in the Turkish resort of Antalya last month, the first such gathering since the start of Moscow’s military operation on February 24.
Russia last week announced it would drastically reduce its military activities in northern Ukraine following a meeting in Istanbul.
Ukraine has proposed an international agreement with other countries guaranteeing its security in return for accepting a neutral and non-nuclear status, not joining NATO and refusing to host foreign military bases.
According to the Ukrainian proposal, Russia would not oppose Kyiv’s admission to the European Union.
Lavrov said the situation in Bucha aims to “distract attention from the negotiation process, distract attention from the fact that the Ukrainian party, after Istanbul, has started to row back, tried to put forward new conditions.”
But he added that Russia was “ready” to continue the talks.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has accused Russian troops of killing civilians in Bucha, after images emerged of bodies strewn across the streets following Russia’s withdrawal.
But the Kremlin has denied any responsibility and suggested the images of corpses were staged.
Russia has not officially responded to Ukraine’s security propositions and negotiations continue by videoconference.(TCS)
