Bucha massacre tests Europe’s red lines on Russian energy
Europe is united in its outrage over evidence of Russian atrocities in Ukraine. But the European Union is not sure what it is willing to do about it, especially when it comes to energy.
As photographs of bodies in the streets of the town of Bucha circulated online over the weekend, horrified Ukrainian and European officials called for the E.U. to finally stop buying Russian oil and gas.
Every barrel of oil and ton of gas is “soaked in the blood” of those killed, the speaker of Ukraine’s parliament said. Lithuania’s foreign minister warned other E.U. countries not to become “accomplices.”
With scenes of the devastation splashed across newspapers, French President Emmanuel Macron said Monday that indications of “war crimes” in Ukraine warranted new sanctions. The Élysée later confirmed that France would back an embargo on Russian oil and coal and that the proposals will be discussed on a European level on Wednesday.
Read the full story here.
Europe is united in its outrage over evidence of Russian atrocities in Ukraine. But the European Union is not sure what it is willing to do about it, especially when it comes to energy.
As photographs of bodies in the streets of the town of Bucha circulated online over the weekend, horrified Ukrainian and European officials called for the E.U. to finally stop buying Russian oil and gas.
Every barrel of oil and ton of gas is “soaked in the blood” of those killed, the speaker of Ukraine’s parliament said. Lithuania’s foreign minister warned other E.U. countries not to become “accomplices.”
With scenes of the devastation splashed across newspapers, French President Emmanuel Macron said Monday that indications of “war crimes” in Ukraine warranted new sanctions. The Élysée later confirmed that France would back an embargo on Russian oil and coal and that the proposals will be discussed on a European level on Wednesday.
Read the full story here.
Zelensky accuses Russia of atrocities, says ‘entire families’ killed
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of committing a broad range of war crimes, charging during a meeting of the U.N. Security Council that Russian forces killed unarmed civilians and children, raped women, crushed people in their cars with tanks and burned bodies.
“They killed entire families, adults and children, and they tried to burn their bodies,” Zelensky said. “This undermines the whole architecture of global security,” he added. “They are destroying everything.”
The Ukrainian leader addressed the council via video link after his visit to the Kyiv suburb of Bucha, where Russian forces are accused of massacring civilians. The visit comes as the United States and European nations demand accountability and seek additional sanctions and the expulsion of Russia from the U.N. Human Rights Council.
Read the full story here.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of committing a broad range of war crimes, charging during a meeting of the U.N. Security Council that Russian forces killed unarmed civilians and children, raped women, crushed people in their cars with tanks and burned bodies.
“They killed entire families, adults and children, and they tried to burn their bodies,” Zelensky said. “This undermines the whole architecture of global security,” he added. “They are destroying everything.”
The Ukrainian leader addressed the council via video link after his visit to the Kyiv suburb of Bucha, where Russian forces are accused of massacring civilians. The visit comes as the United States and European nations demand accountability and seek additional sanctions and the expulsion of Russia from the U.N. Human Rights Council.
Read the full story here.
E.U. proposes ban on Russian coal after Bucha massacre in Ukraine
The European Commission is proposing a ban on Russian coal — but not oil or gas — as part of a new package of sanctions in response to possible war crimes in Bucha, Ukraine.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the latest sanctions package seeks to ban Russian coal imports, sanction four Russian banks and ban Russian vessels from E.U. ports, among other measures. The proposal will be debated by E.U. ambassadors on Wednesday.
“These atrocities cannot and will not be left unanswered,” von der Leyen said. “It is important to sustain utmost pressure on [Russian President Vladimir] Putin and the Russian government at this crucial point.”
Read the full story here.
The European Commission is proposing a ban on Russian coal — but not oil or gas — as part of a new package of sanctions in response to possible war crimes in Bucha, Ukraine.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the latest sanctions package seeks to ban Russian coal imports, sanction four Russian banks and ban Russian vessels from E.U. ports, among other measures. The proposal will be debated by E.U. ambassadors on Wednesday.
“These atrocities cannot and will not be left unanswered,” von der Leyen said. “It is important to sustain utmost pressure on [Russian President Vladimir] Putin and the Russian government at this crucial point.”
Read the full story here.
Town by town, Ukrainian prosecutors build Russian war crimes cases
At first, the government circulated fliers asking displaced people to call a phone number if they were willing to speak to a prosecutor or to upload photos and videos of potential Russian war crimes to a state website. But the displaced were often either exhausted, confused, scared, skeptical or some combination of those. So, in late March, prosecutors began going to displaced people rather than waiting for them to reach out.
“I thought the judicial system was lagging before this invasion,” school director Halyna Hrymaliuk told The Washington Post. “I work at a state-owned school, so when I heard prosecutors were coming here, to be frank, I didn’t believe this.”
She decided to quietly sit in on interviews, hoping to understand the prosecutors’ goals. They worked from early morning until late at night, she said.
They were far more efficient than Hrymaliuk had expected. “I was impressed,” she said.
Read the full story here.
At first, the government circulated fliers asking displaced people to call a phone number if they were willing to speak to a prosecutor or to upload photos and videos of potential Russian war crimes to a state website. But the displaced were often either exhausted, confused, scared, skeptical or some combination of those. So, in late March, prosecutors began going to displaced people rather than waiting for them to reach out.
“I thought the judicial system was lagging before this invasion,” school director Halyna Hrymaliuk told The Washington Post. “I work at a state-owned school, so when I heard prosecutors were coming here, to be frank, I didn’t believe this.”
She decided to quietly sit in on interviews, hoping to understand the prosecutors’ goals. They worked from early morning until late at night, she said.
They were far more efficient than Hrymaliuk had expected. “I was impressed,” she said.
Read the full story here.
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Here is the latest from Ukraine.
- U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield urged nations to vote to suspend Russia’s membership in the U.N. Human Rights Council. The suspension would require a two-thirds vote by the 193-member General Assembly.
- Since the invasion began, more than 100 Russian diplomats in nearly a dozen countries have been asked to leave their postings — Estonia, Latvia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Italy and Denmark were the latest to announce expulsions Tuesday.
- In interviews with The Post, residents near Kyiv and Mykolaiv recounted violence at the hands of Russian soldiers.
More live updates here.
- U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield urged nations to vote to suspend Russia’s membership in the U.N. Human Rights Council. The suspension would require a two-thirds vote by the 193-member General Assembly.
- Since the invasion began, more than 100 Russian diplomats in nearly a dozen countries have been asked to leave their postings — Estonia, Latvia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Italy and Denmark were the latest to announce expulsions Tuesday.
- In interviews with The Post, residents near Kyiv and Mykolaiv recounted violence at the hands of Russian soldiers.
More live updates here.
In shattered Chernihiv, Russian siege leaves a city asking, ‘Why?’
This city endured weeks of Russian siege, but just barely.
Officials here, 90 miles north of Kyiv, buried hundreds of civilians in makeshift coffins and hastily dug trenches. Families held mass funerals, fearing they could be killed if they lingered in the cemetery. Water and electricity were almost entirely cut off, and no aid could come in.
More than half of the city’s prewar population of 300,000 fled. Those who stayed behind spent much of the last five weeks huddled underground as Russian forces pounded residential neighborhoods with missiles and mortar fire. The civilian death toll remains unclear, but Mayor Vladyslav Atroshenko said at times the city buried up to 100 people in a single day.
“They were not fighting the army here,” he said in an interview from his office in the city’s historic center, which was damaged when two missiles struck nearby on Feb. 27. “They were bombing civilians.”
Read the full story here.
This city endured weeks of Russian siege, but just barely.
Officials here, 90 miles north of Kyiv, buried hundreds of civilians in makeshift coffins and hastily dug trenches. Families held mass funerals, fearing they could be killed if they lingered in the cemetery. Water and electricity were almost entirely cut off, and no aid could come in.
More than half of the city’s prewar population of 300,000 fled. Those who stayed behind spent much of the last five weeks huddled underground as Russian forces pounded residential neighborhoods with missiles and mortar fire. The civilian death toll remains unclear, but Mayor Vladyslav Atroshenko said at times the city buried up to 100 people in a single day.
“They were not fighting the army here,” he said in an interview from his office in the city’s historic center, which was damaged when two missiles struck nearby on Feb. 27. “They were bombing civilians.”
Read the full story here.
Here is the latest on Ukraine's key battlegrounds and retaken cities.
Mariupol: Bombardment continued Tuesday, with more than 100,000 people still trapped here, said the mayor. Nearly 1,500 made it out Tuesday, a deputy prime minister said, but a Red Cross convoy has not been able to gain access to the city after days of trying. Britain’s Defense Ministry said Wednesday that as many as 160,000 are stranded without electricity, food, water, medicine or heat.
Borodyanka: President Zelensky warned the death toll here may be even higher than that of Bucha. Ukraine’s forces have retaken the city, and photos from local media show widespread destruction.
Bucha: Ukrainian citizens and soldiers continue to survey the damage in this Kyiv suburb. A Post photographer who returned there Tuesday saw bodies of residents and their pets lying in gardens and backyards. A site said to have been used by Russian troops for torture was spotted with bloodstains and bullet holes.
More live updates here.
Mariupol: Bombardment continued Tuesday, with more than 100,000 people still trapped here, said the mayor. Nearly 1,500 made it out Tuesday, a deputy prime minister said, but a Red Cross convoy has not been able to gain access to the city after days of trying. Britain’s Defense Ministry said Wednesday that as many as 160,000 are stranded without electricity, food, water, medicine or heat.
Borodyanka: President Zelensky warned the death toll here may be even higher than that of Bucha. Ukraine’s forces have retaken the city, and photos from local media show widespread destruction.
Bucha: Ukrainian citizens and soldiers continue to survey the damage in this Kyiv suburb. A Post photographer who returned there Tuesday saw bodies of residents and their pets lying in gardens and backyards. A site said to have been used by Russian troops for torture was spotted with bloodstains and bullet holes.
More live updates here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine.
- NATO foreign ministers will gather in Brussels on Wednesday to discuss how to support Ukraine amid rising pressure from President Zelensky to do more and internal tensions over the extent to which Russia poses a direct threat to the alliance.
- In response to possible war crimes, the Biden administration on Wednesday will announce a ban on new investments in Russia and more sanctions on Russian enterprises and government officials. The European Commission is proposing a ban on Russian coal as part of a new package of sanctions.
- The Biden administration also approved on Tuesday sending $100 million worth of Javelin antitank missile systems to Ukraine, the sixth such drawdown of equipment from the Pentagon’s inventories since August.
More live updates here.
- NATO foreign ministers will gather in Brussels on Wednesday to discuss how to support Ukraine amid rising pressure from President Zelensky to do more and internal tensions over the extent to which Russia poses a direct threat to the alliance.
- In response to possible war crimes, the Biden administration on Wednesday will announce a ban on new investments in Russia and more sanctions on Russian enterprises and government officials. The European Commission is proposing a ban on Russian coal as part of a new package of sanctions.
- The Biden administration also approved on Tuesday sending $100 million worth of Javelin antitank missile systems to Ukraine, the sixth such drawdown of equipment from the Pentagon’s inventories since August.
More live updates here.
Some European countries begin sending diplomats back to Ukraine
Foreign diplomats began leaving Ukraine in droves in February, as Russian troops prepared to invade the country. Now, as the war enters its 42nd day, at least three European countries are sending diplomats back.
The moves to return envoys to Ukraine, or in some cases to reopen diplomatic outposts, coincide with a withdrawal of Russian troops from northern Ukraine, particularly areas around the capital, Kyiv, which military experts say could be a sign that Moscow is refocusing its efforts on the east of the country.
On Tuesday, Estonia’s foreign minister, Eva-Maria Liimets, said her country’s ambassador to Ukraine, Kaimo Kuusk, who left on March 6, was “making preparations” to return to Kyiv within days, Estonia’s public broadcaster said.
Liimets’s remarks came on the same day that Estonia announced it would shut two Russian consular outposts and expel 14 diplomats and consular staffers.
Read the full story here.
Foreign diplomats began leaving Ukraine in droves in February, as Russian troops prepared to invade the country. Now, as the war enters its 42nd day, at least three European countries are sending diplomats back.
The moves to return envoys to Ukraine, or in some cases to reopen diplomatic outposts, coincide with a withdrawal of Russian troops from northern Ukraine, particularly areas around the capital, Kyiv, which military experts say could be a sign that Moscow is refocusing its efforts on the east of the country.
On Tuesday, Estonia’s foreign minister, Eva-Maria Liimets, said her country’s ambassador to Ukraine, Kaimo Kuusk, who left on March 6, was “making preparations” to return to Kyiv within days, Estonia’s public broadcaster said.
Liimets’s remarks came on the same day that Estonia announced it would shut two Russian consular outposts and expel 14 diplomats and consular staffers.
Read the full story here.
As Ukraine war drags on, Pentagon makes long-term plans for Europe
The open-ended war in Ukraine has thrown the Pentagon’s long-term planning into question, with senior U.S. defense officials expected to revamp how they deploy military forces in Eastern Europe and the Baltics amid deepening anxiety over Russia’s broader ambitions.
Gen. Mark A. Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Tuesday that he favors creating permanent bases for U.S. troops in the region but to deploy personnel there rotationally, “so you get the effect of permanence” at a lesser cost because expenses such as family housing and schools are not involved.
“I believe a lot of our allies, especially those such as the Baltics or Poland or Romania, they are very willing to establish permanent bases,” Milley said in testimony before the House Armed Services Committee. “They will build them and pay for them.”
Read the full story here.
The open-ended war in Ukraine has thrown the Pentagon’s long-term planning into question, with senior U.S. defense officials expected to revamp how they deploy military forces in Eastern Europe and the Baltics amid deepening anxiety over Russia’s broader ambitions.
Gen. Mark A. Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Tuesday that he favors creating permanent bases for U.S. troops in the region but to deploy personnel there rotationally, “so you get the effect of permanence” at a lesser cost because expenses such as family housing and schools are not involved.
“I believe a lot of our allies, especially those such as the Baltics or Poland or Romania, they are very willing to establish permanent bases,” Milley said in testimony before the House Armed Services Committee. “They will build them and pay for them.”
Read the full story here.
Right-wing Azov Battalion emerges as a controversial defender of Ukraine
Inside a warehouse, in a bustling section of this capital, the incessant cracking sound of gunfire echoed off walls. Men in olive-colored camouflage were training for war. Most wore helmets and bulletproof jackets. Some wore high-top sneakers. All clutched AK-47 rifles and waited for their turn to shoot at a round target 50 yards away.
It was centered with Russian President Vladimir Putin’s face — and peppered with bullet holes.
Invisible, yet palpable, was the shadow cast over this new regiment, like every unit of the Azov Battalion. Alexi Suliyma knew about its ugly past, but he joined anyway. Two friends were in the force, and he felt the Azov would best train him to defend his motherland.
“These are guys who simply love their country and Ukrainian people,” said Suliyma, 23, a former construction worker. “I never knew them to be Nazis or fascists, never heard them make calls for the Third Reich.”
Read the full story here.
Inside a warehouse, in a bustling section of this capital, the incessant cracking sound of gunfire echoed off walls. Men in olive-colored camouflage were training for war. Most wore helmets and bulletproof jackets. Some wore high-top sneakers. All clutched AK-47 rifles and waited for their turn to shoot at a round target 50 yards away.
It was centered with Russian President Vladimir Putin’s face — and peppered with bullet holes.
Invisible, yet palpable, was the shadow cast over this new regiment, like every unit of the Azov Battalion. Alexi Suliyma knew about its ugly past, but he joined anyway. Two friends were in the force, and he felt the Azov would best train him to defend his motherland.
“These are guys who simply love their country and Ukrainian people,” said Suliyma, 23, a former construction worker. “I never knew them to be Nazis or fascists, never heard them make calls for the Third Reich.”
Read the full story here.
Ukrainian villagers describe cruel and brutal Russian occupation
The city of Mykolaiv has been defended fiercely by Ukrainian forces blocking Russia’s attempts to advance toward the strategically key Black Sea port of Odessa, about 70 miles to the southwest. When Russian forces couldn’t go through Mykolaiv last month, they tried to go around it, storming into an area of small, rural towns north of the city.
Russians arrived in columns of armored vehicles and occupied these hamlets for about 10 days before Ukrainian military forces ejected them. In interviews with The Post in recent days, residents recounted how they were terrorized by their new Russian overlords. Their stories offer a glimpse of abuse and violence against unarmed civilians that could be used as evidence in potential war crimes cases against Russian President Vladimir Putin’s military.
Similar stories have been emerging in recent days from areas around Kyiv that were under Russian control until recently.
Read the full story here.
The city of Mykolaiv has been defended fiercely by Ukrainian forces blocking Russia’s attempts to advance toward the strategically key Black Sea port of Odessa, about 70 miles to the southwest. When Russian forces couldn’t go through Mykolaiv last month, they tried to go around it, storming into an area of small, rural towns north of the city.
Russians arrived in columns of armored vehicles and occupied these hamlets for about 10 days before Ukrainian military forces ejected them. In interviews with The Post in recent days, residents recounted how they were terrorized by their new Russian overlords. Their stories offer a glimpse of abuse and violence against unarmed civilians that could be used as evidence in potential war crimes cases against Russian President Vladimir Putin’s military.
Similar stories have been emerging in recent days from areas around Kyiv that were under Russian control until recently.
Read the full story here.
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Here is the latest from Ukraine.
- The U.S. Justice Department has indicted Konstantin Malofeyev, the first criminal charges against an oligarch since the invasion of Ukraine began.
- The Red Cross said it was “impossible to enter” the southern port of Mariupol after its team tried over five days to reach thousands of people trapped in the devastated city.
- Greece and Norway said Wednesday that they would expel Russian diplomats, and Moscow vowed to retaliate — the latest sign of a tit-for-tat downgrading of diplomatic relations between Russia and its European neighbors.
- The Kremlin described the withdrawal of troops from around Kyiv as “a gesture of goodwill” for negotiations, while its forces shifted to eastern Ukraine, where officials reported intensifying attacks.
More live updates here.
- The U.S. Justice Department has indicted Konstantin Malofeyev, the first criminal charges against an oligarch since the invasion of Ukraine began.
- The Red Cross said it was “impossible to enter” the southern port of Mariupol after its team tried over five days to reach thousands of people trapped in the devastated city.
- Greece and Norway said Wednesday that they would expel Russian diplomats, and Moscow vowed to retaliate — the latest sign of a tit-for-tat downgrading of diplomatic relations between Russia and its European neighbors.
- The Kremlin described the withdrawal of troops from around Kyiv as “a gesture of goodwill” for negotiations, while its forces shifted to eastern Ukraine, where officials reported intensifying attacks.
More live updates here.
Here is the latest on Ukraine’s key battlegrounds and retaken cities.
Mariupol: At least 5,000 residents of this city have died in the war, including 210 children, the mayor said Wednesday, adding that more than 100,000 people are trapped. The International Committee of the Red Cross suspended its efforts in the area after days of unsuccessful attempts to evacuate residents because of security conditions.
Kharkiv region: The Ukrainian deputy prime minister and local officials said Wednesday that residents are in danger and should consider evacuating as Ukrainian leaders brace for new assaults in the country's east.
Chernihiv: The largest city besieged by Russian troops and retaken by Ukrainians, more than half of Chernihiv’s 300,000 residents have fled and hundreds more have been killed, the mayor said. The total toll remains unclear, but survivors describe atrocities echoing those that have emerged from other cities Russia has occupied.
More live updates here.
Mariupol: At least 5,000 residents of this city have died in the war, including 210 children, the mayor said Wednesday, adding that more than 100,000 people are trapped. The International Committee of the Red Cross suspended its efforts in the area after days of unsuccessful attempts to evacuate residents because of security conditions.
Kharkiv region: The Ukrainian deputy prime minister and local officials said Wednesday that residents are in danger and should consider evacuating as Ukrainian leaders brace for new assaults in the country's east.
Chernihiv: The largest city besieged by Russian troops and retaken by Ukrainians, more than half of Chernihiv’s 300,000 residents have fled and hundreds more have been killed, the mayor said. The total toll remains unclear, but survivors describe atrocities echoing those that have emerged from other cities Russia has occupied.
More live updates here.