Russia has committed “heinous” war crimes including sexual violence, execution and torture of civilians, Ukraine’s top envoy in Australia says.
The level of atrocities in cities like Mariupol could be larger than what occurred in the Balkan wars due to higher population numbers and a lack of insight into the areas, ambassador Vasyl Myroshnychenko fears.
“These are crimes against humanity and somebody needs to stop it,” Mr Myroshnychenko said.
Images have emerged from the small city of Bucha near Kyiv of executed civilians with their hands bound behind their backs.
Satellite images also show a trench dug into the grounds of a church where a mass grave has been identified, according to US company Maxar Technologies.
“We see civilians’ dead bodies lying around the city, many of them have their hands tied up. We are now collecting the evidence from the witnesses,” Mr Myroshnychenko said.
“Multiple rapes of women, children killed. This is a massacre.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy says Russia is making a “slow but noticeable” withdrawal from the Kyiv region, but his Australian envoy has cast doubt on Russia’s supposed retreat.
“They are now regrouping. They are using it as an operational pause and I’m sure they will mount another assault and therefore we need support of the free world to help us fight,” Mr Myroshnychenko said.
The West needs to provide heavy weapons, air defence systems, anti-ship missiles, armoured, vehicles, tanks and planes to help Ukraine repel the Russian invasion, the ambassador says.
“We are just like you. We were a democratic country, in the middle of Europe.
“It’s only two and a half flight from Kyiv to Paris. We’re in the middle of Europe and this is happening now in the 21st century.”
Mr Myroshnychenko says Ukraine is not calling for boots on the ground and will continue to defend its country, but needs weapons and ammunition to continue repelling a much larger Russian force.
“Send us weapons. This is what we need, this what we’re asking for,” he said.
Mr Myroshnychenko also called for sanctions to go further and for Australia to announce a moratorium on all Russian goods coming into the country.
Australia could also help Ukraine rebuild its coastal and port cities, he said.
“(They) will need reconstruction and given your experience with maritime infrastructure, this is something that we would really appreciate.
“We will also look at other ways of how we can promote trade and investment between our two countries.”
The envoy also called for a new Marshall plan – a United States initiative in 1948 which provided $13 billion in economic recovery aid to help Western Europe after the World War II – to help the country rebuild.
Mr Myroshnychenko welcomed calls for Europe to lessen its dependence on Russian gas, saying Australia could play a crucial role to stop the flow of gas funds to the Kremlin, which in effect continues to prop up the war effort.
“This is what we need to stop this war because once Russia is not going to get any sources of income from the sales of their fossil fuels, this is when you’re going to see the end of the regime.”
By Dominic Giannini in Canberra, with Reuters
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