Russian atrocities ‘not far short of genocide,’ says UK premier

LONDON – The British prime minister has condemned alleged Russian atrocities in the Ukrainian city of Bucha.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Moscow have been facing vehement criticism from the international community after Ukraine accused Russian forces of committing “genocide” and “war crimes” in Bucha, a town near the capital Kyiv.

Russia has rejected the allegations as a “fake news attack,” arguing that images of bodies and footage of slain civilians that have drawn global outrage were staged after Russian forces withdrew from the city.

Speaking to reporters during a visit to a hospital north of the capital London, Boris Johnson said the international community, led by the UK, will respond harshly to Moscow and implement further sanctions on the Kremlin in response to the killings.

“I’m afraid when you look at what’s happening in Bucha, the revelations that we are seeing from what Putin has done in Ukraine, doesn’t look far short of genocide to me,” Johnson said in a statement quoted by Sky News.

“I have no doubt that the international community, Britain very much in the front rank, will be moving again in lockstep to impose more sanctions and more penalties on Vladimir Putin’s regime,” he added.