Zelenskyy to address UN, Germany, France to expel Russian diplomats in Bucha fallout: LIVE UPDATES

Germany to expel “significant number” of Russian diplomats after Bucha massacre, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock Announced on Monday.

“Bucha’s images testify to the unbelievable brutality of the Russian leadership and those who follow its propaganda, to a will for annihilation that transcends all borders,” Baerbock said.

“The federal government has therefore decided today to declare undesirable a significant number of members of the Russian embassy, ​​who have worked every day against our freedom and against the cohesion of our society here in Germany.”

He also announced that Germany is working with other European countries to tighten existing sanctions against Russia.

kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko on Tuesday urged European countries to sever economic ties with Moscow, saying “every euro, every penny you receive from Russia or send to Russia has blood on it, it’s blood money and the blood of this money is Ukrainian blood.” , the blood of the Ukrainian people,” according to Reuters.

“Are you for peace and do you support Ukraine or do you support the aggressors, Russia?” she allegedly added.

Serhiy Haidai, the governor of eastern Ukraine’s Luhansk region, said Tuesday that residents should stay inside, close doors and windows and prepare wet face masks after a Russian airstrike hit a tank containing nitric acid. .

In a Telegram post, Haidai said the incident occurred near the town of Rubizhne, which the Ukrainian military says the Russians have been trying to take over. He did not specify which area the warning applies to.

Haidai warned that nitric acid “is dangerous if inhaled, ingested and comes into contact with the skin and mucous membranes.”

The Russian military has not commented on the claim and it could not be independently verified.

Associated Press contributed to this report.

More European countries are expelling Russian officials after France and Germany expelled dozens on Monday.

Italy’s foreign ministry said Tuesday it will expel 30 Russian diplomats, while Denmark’s foreign ministry says the country will expel 15 Russian intelligence officers who worked at the Russian Embassy in Copenhagen.

The officers have two weeks to leave Denmark. Foreign Minister Jeppe Kofod said they “represent a risk to our national security that we cannot ignore.”

Sweden’s foreign minister also said Tuesday that his country is expelling three Russian diplomats.

Associated Press contributed to this report.

Vlad Tanyuk, 6, was photographed by the Associated Press on Monday standing in the yard of his house on the outskirts of kyiv, next to the grave of his mother, Ira, who reportedly died of starvation and stress.

The European Commission will propose to the European Union on Tuesday new sanctions against Moscow, including bans on imports of coal, chemicals, rubber and various other Russian products worth up to $9.8 billion annually, a source told Reuters.

The development comes after the EU announced that European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell will visit Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in kyiv this week.

The UK Ministry of Defense said on Tuesday that “Ukrainian forces have retaken key terrain in northern Ukraine, after denying Russia the ability to secure its objectives and forcing Russian forces to withdraw from areas around Ukraine.” Chernihiv and north of kyiv”.

“Many Russian units withdrawing from northern Ukraine are likely to require significant re-equipment and refurbishment before they are available to redeploy for operations in eastern Ukraine,” it added.

The Ministry also said that “low-level fighting is likely to continue in some parts of the newly recaptured regions, but will subside significantly during this week as the rest of the Russian forces withdraw.”

Seven humanitarian corridors will open in Mariupol, Ukraine, on Tuesday to evacuate some of the city’s remaining 130,000 residents, many of whom have been living without food, water or shelter, amid Russian military attacks, a senior official said. Ukrainian official.

The seven corridors will allow residents to be transported to Zaporizhia (about 140 miles northwest of Mariupol), Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said on Telegram.

“Despite promises from their leadership, the occupation forces do not allow anyone to travel to Mariupol,” he said in the post.

“The [Russian] the occupiers blocked the representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross in Manhush,” he added, noting that additional evacuation routes have been planned for Manhush, by bus to the port city of Berdyansk, which will then travel to Zaporizhia.

Read more here: Seven humanitarian corridors have been opened to evacuate Mariupol residents: Deputy Prime Minister

Sumy Oblast Governor Dmytro Zhyvytskyy said at least three civilian bodies were found when Ukrainian troops recaptured Sumy Oblast. The bodies had evidence of having been tortured, he said.

“Today was a very busy day, but it was a day of war,” Zhyvytskyy said. “We continue to clean our land of the remains of waste.”

“Thanks to our defense, the Armed Forces, the volunteers and the doctors, to every resident of the Sumy region who is working on the restoration of our region, we are working!” he added she.

Translation: “They killed our mercy, but we gave birth to anger. These Russian executioners dreamed of returning home victorious, with bags of plundered ‘gifts’ and stories of how they mocked our people.”

“However, the Ukrainian SSO got to them first. And we gave them a ticket to hell.”

France is expelling “many” Russian diplomats following a massacre in the Ukrainian city of Bucha.

“France has decided tonight to expel many Russian personnel stationed in France under diplomatic status, whose activities go against our security interests,” read a Monday statement from the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs.

“This action is part of a European movement. Our first responsibility is always to guarantee the safety of French and European citizens,” the statement continues.

Approximately 35 diplomats will be expelled from the country following the announcement, according to Agence France-Presse.

Earlier on Monday, French President Emmanuel Macron called for additional sanctions against Russia, according to a report. White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan later announced that the United States will work with allies to impose more sanctions.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will address the United Nations (UN) Security Council meeting on Tuesday on the latest alleged atrocities committed by Russian forces against his nation.

The official Twitter account of the UK delegation to the UN announced the upcoming speech, tweeting: “The UK Council Presidency will ensure the truth about Russia’s war crimes is heard. We will expose Putin’s war.” for what it really is.”

The announcement comes after Zelenskyy visited Bucha, where Russian forces allegedly left the bodies of civilians in the streets, according to satellite images.

Ukrainian officials said the bodies of 410 civilians were found in towns and cities in the kyiv area that were recently recovered from Russian forces. In Bucha, more than 100 civilians were found buried in mass graves.

Click here for Monday’s live coverage.