RONALDO SCHEMIDT/AFP via Getty Images(NEW YORK) -- Russian forces are continuing their attempted push through Ukraine from multiple directions, while Ukrainians, led by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, are putting up "stiff resistance," according to U.S. officials. The attack began Feb. 24, when Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a "special military operation." Heavy shelling and missile attacks, many on civilian buildings, continue in Ukraine's capital, Kyiv, as well as other major cities like Kharkiv and Mariupol. Here's how the news is developing. All times Eastern: Apr 04, 7:28 pm 'Today has been a really difficult day, emotional,' Zelenskyy says of visit to Bucha More than 300 people have been killed and tortured in Bucha, with the death toll expected to be much higher once the entire city has been checked, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in an address Monday following his visit to the ravaged city. Even more are feared dead in Borodyanka and other liberated cities, Zelenskyy said, vowing to punish those responsible. "We are already doing everything possible to identify all the Russian military involved in these crimes as soon as possible. Everything to punish them," Zelenskyy said. "This will be a joint work of our state with the European Union and international institutions, in particular with the International Criminal Court." Zelenskyy also said that Russia is using old tactics to distort the truth about what happened in Bucha. "They will not succeed," Zelensky said. "They will not be able to deceive the whole world." -ABC News' Christine Theodorou Apr 04, 5:34 pm Russian ambassador to the UN claims Ukraine 'staged' Bucha atrocities Russia is not responsible for the atrocities that Ukraine claims occurred in Bucha, the Russian Ambassador to the United Nations claimed in a press conference on Monday. Ambassador Vasily Alekseevich Nebenzya claimed that experts who analyzed the video showing dead bodies on the street in Bucha and concluded the scene was staged, alleging that the people lying on the street showed signs of life and that it was clear the first stages of decomposition, which would have occurred in the days after Russian military forces had withdrawn, have not taken place. To back his claims, Nebenzya played a video, purportedly filmed on Saturday after Russian forces left Bucha, and pointed out that there were no dead bodies on the streets. Nebenzya also alleged that the Ukrainian military interviewed people in different locations throughout Bucha and there was no mention of a civilian massacre. "Now the nationalists have a pretext to commit a real massacre" Nebenzya said, claiming Ukraine would use Bucha as a false flag operation. "We want the world to stay alert." Nebenzya added that the "truth of what happened in Bucha will reveal itself" and that he will present "even more" evidence to the U.N. Security Council on Tuesday. -ABC News' Christine Theodorou Apr 04, 5:22 pm US pushes to expel Russian diplomats from UN Human Rights Council The U.S., in coordination with Ukraine and European allies, is pushing to expel Russia from the United Nations Human Rights Council, U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Linda Thomas-Greenfield announced Monday. The U.N. Human Rights Council is a body within the U.N. system where countries are elected for three-year terms. To suspend one of the body's 47 elected members requires a two-thirds majority in the U.N.'s main body -- the U.N. General Assembly. During a press conference in Romania, Thomas-Greenfield told reporters the U.S. wants to have a vote this week. "We cannot let a member state that is subverting every principle we hold dear to continue to sit on the U.N. Human Rights Council," she said. "Russia should not have a position of authority in that body, nor should we allow Russia to use their role on the Council as a tool of propaganda to suggest they have a legitimate concern about human rights." Thomas-Greenfield called Moscow's participation a "farce" and added it "hurts the credibility of the Council and the U.N. writ large -- and it is simply wrong." It is unclear whether the U.S. and its allies and partners have the votes to take this rare step, but two previous U.N. General Assembly votes condemning Russia's invasion have yielded 141 and 140 votes -- crossing the two-thirds threshold of the U.N.'s 193 member states. Whether they can secure that same level of support for an expulsion, which some countries may see as an escalation, is an open question. This would not be the first time the U.N. has suspended a country. In March 2011, it to suspend Libya from the Council because of Muammar Gaddafi's violence against protesters. State Department spokesperson Ned Price indicated they believe they have the votes, saying the U.S. believes the General Assembly will "stand up in clear contravention of what Russia is doing." "It's something that we'll continue to discuss," Price said. "But, as we've heard, there's been widespread, strong condemnation of this conduct and this would be the next natural step." The U.N. Security Council will meet Tuesday to discuss Ukraine, with the atrocities reported out of Bucha and other Kyiv suburbs on the agenda. "We will be prepared to confront them with the actual truth," Thomas-Greenfield said Monday when asked about that meeting. "They of course will, as they always do, try to distract us with their lies, and we're prepared for that." -ABC News' Conor Finnegan Apr 04, 4:52 pm US supports team of independent war crimes investigators The United States is supporting a multinational team of independent war crimes investigators, including American experts, that are working with Ukraine's prosecutor-general on a probe of alleged Russian war crimes, U.S. State Department spokesperson Ned Price said on Monday. The team is working in Eastern Europe, but not in Ukraine itself, Price said. He said the team is collecting, preserving and analyzing evidence with a view toward prosecutions and other forms of holding Russia accountable, Price said. The United States is also supporting the effort through funding for non-government organizations that are part of the effort, Price said. He said he could not provide further details, including how many Americans are involved or how much funding is being allocated. At the start of his briefing on Monday, Price noted the horrific reports from Bucha, Ukraine, and other towns outside of the capital of Kyiv, describing reports of "civilians, many with their hands tied, apparently executed in the streets, others in mass graves." "We are seeing credible reports of torture, rape and civilians executed alongside their families," Price said. "There are reports and images of a nightmare litany of atrocities, including reports of land mines and booby traps left behind by Putin's forces to injure even more civilians and slow the stabilization and recovery of devastated communities after they failed in their objective and withdrew." U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will discuss the reported atrocities with his NATO foreign minister counterparts during the Western military alliance's spring meeting this week, Price said. President Joe Biden said earlier Monday that he is calling for more sanctions to be imposed on Russia in light of the reports from Bucha. "We're continuously tightening sanctions and preparing for additional sanctions, jointly with our allies and partners," Price said. -ABC News' Conor Finnegan Apr 04, 4:42 pm More than 1,500 residents evacuated from Mariupol More than 1,500 residents fled Mariupol in private vehicles on, according to Ukrainian officials. The mayor of Mariupol confirmed on Monday that a convoy of seven buses escorted by the International Committee of the Red Cross was could not make it into his besieged city to evacuate residen
Related Keywords
Kharkiv , Kharkivs Ka Oblast , Ukraine , Russia , France , Chernihiv , Chernihivs Ka Oblast , Severodonetsk , Luhans Ka Oblast , Irpin , Kyyivs Ka Oblast , Moscow , Moskva , Donbas , Ukraine General , United States , United Kingdom , Hostomel , Washington , Belarus , Luhansk , Palma De Mallorca , Islas Baleares , Spain , Kremlin , Germany , Manhush , Donets Ka Oblast , Borodyanka , Sumy , Sums Ka Oblast , Libya , Kyiv , Kyyiv , Misto , Romania , Americans , Ukrainians , Russian , French , Spanish , Ukrainian , German , British , American , Luke Barr , Angela Merkel , Matt Seyler , Conor Finnegan , Maria Zakharova , Aaron Katersky , Joe Biden , Alexander Fomin , Vladimir Putin , Antony Blinken , Volodymyr Zelenskyy , Christine Theodorou , Iryna Vereshchuk , Sergei Lavrov , Natalia Kushnir , Dmitry Peskov , Fidel Pavlenko , Oleg Sinehubov , Pavlo Kyrylenko , Muammar Gaddafi , Iryna Venedyktova , Un Linda Thomas , Viktor Vekselberg , John Kirby , Vladyslav Atroshenko , Annalena Baerbock , Dmitry Polyansky , Alekseevich Nebenzya , Us Department Of Defense , United Nations Human Rights Council , Un Security Council , United Nations Security Council , European Union , Security Council , Security Council For , Un Human Rights Council , United Nations Security Council On , Staff Of The Ukrainian Armed , United Nations , Uk Ministry Of Defense , Russian Ministry Of Foreign Affairs , Us State Department , Us Department Of Justice , Russian Ground , Un Security Council On , International Committee Of The Red Cross , International Criminal Court , Defense Ministry , President Volodymyr Zelenskyy , Russian President Vladimir Putin , Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy , Russian Ambassador , Vasily Alekseevich Nebenzya , Rights Council , Ned Price , General Assembly , Eastern Europe , State Antony Blinken , International Committee , Red Cross , Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk , Deputy Defense Minister , Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock , General Staff , Ukrainian Armed Forces , Donetsk Oblast , Russian Ground Forces , Main Directorate , Ukrainian Ministry , Motor Rifle Brigade , Marina Real , Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov , Prosecutor General Iryna Venedyktova , Foreign Affairs , Russian President Vladimir , Middle East , Mayor Vladyslav Atroshenko , German Chancellor Angela Merkel , French President Nicolas Sarkozy , President Joe Biden ,
comparemela.com © 2020. All Rights Reserved.