What’s new: China’s ambassador to the United Nations called on the U.N. Security Council to investigate the “deeply disturbing” reports of civilian deaths in Bucha, Ukraine.
Zhang Jun said during a U.N. Security Council meeting in New York on Tuesday that the reports and images of the civilian deaths in Bucha are “deeply disturbing,” adding that the relevant circumstances and specific causes of the incident should be “verified and established.”
The ambassador said under international humanitarian law, civilians should be spared of any forms of violence in armed conflicts. He added that before the full picture is clear, all sides should exercise restraint and avoid unfounded accusations.
The background: Images and videos emerged online last week that showed dead bodies in civilian clothing on the streets of Bucha on the outskirts of the capital Kyiv.
In his U.N. Security Council address Wednesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Russian troops of indiscriminately killing civilians “just for their pleasure.” Meanwhile, the Kremlin said Tuesday that accusations that Russian forces committed war crimes by killing civilians in Bucha were a “monstrous forgery” aimed at smearing Moscow.
Read more Caixin’s coverage of the war in Ukraine
Contact reporter Lu Zhenhua (zhenhualu@caixin.com) and editor Michael Bellart (michaelbellart@caixin.com)
Get our weekly free Must-Read newsletter.
