Ukraine: The European Union calls the bombing of a residential building in the Dnieper a "war crime" and Russia denies any responsibility
Sweden, which chairs the European Union, on Monday called Sunday's strike on a residential building on the Dnieper, in eastern Ukraine, a "war crime," which left 40 people dead. The Kremlin denied responsibility for this blow. The spokesman for the Russian president spoke of "tragedy". Germany has called for the creation of a special court to try Russian leaders in connection with the war in Ukraine.
Sweden, which chairs the European Union, said on Monday that the bombing by Russia of a residential building in the Dnieper, in eastern Ukraine, last weekend, was a "war crime".
German Foreign Minister Annalina Beerbuk on Monday called for the creation of a special court to try Russian leaders for the invasion of Ukraine.
In his speech in the Hague, Burbuk called for the creation of a "new form" of the court to "bring Russian leaders to justice", which could be based on Ukrainian legislation, but based abroad and include international judges.
On Monday, 48 hours after the strike, according to the emergency services, 40 bodies were discovered, while the number of victims reached 75. But the fate of the 29 people remains unknown as rescue operations continue to try to find survivors under the rubble.
Cranes were in place on Monday to make it easier for rescue workers to get too destroyed and inaccessible apartments or to lift cement blocks.
The Kremlin denies
The Kremlin denied responsibility for this blow. Russian President Dmitry Peskov's spokesman spoke of a "tragedy" that may have been caused by Ukrainian anti-aircraft fire.
The first reaction of the Kremlin was published two days after the strike. "The Russian armed forces are not bombing residential buildings or civilian objects, they are bombing military targets," Peskov told reporters, despite repeated shelling of several non-military targets since the invasion began on February 24, 2022.
Russian President Vladimir Putin did not mention the incident on Sunday, but he considered that the military campaign in Ukraine was evolving with a "positive dynamic", a few days after Moscow announced the takeover of a small town in eastern Ukraine.
Meeting on arms transfers to the west
A meeting on the issue of supplying Western weapons to Kyiv is scheduled for January 20 at the US Ramstein base in Germany.
Kyiv announced that it needs heavy tanks, light armored vehicles, long-range missile systems, and air defense systems to recover all the territories occupied by Moscow in eastern and southern Ukraine.
The United Kingdom announced on Saturday the delivery of 14 Challenger 2 tanks to Ukraine "in the coming weeks", becoming the first country to supply Kyiv with Western-made heavy tanks.
Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said on Monday that he was waiting for Germany's quick approval for the supply of Leopard tanks to Ukraine.
During a telephone conversation with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan, President Vladimir Putin condemned the increase in Western arms shipments to Ukraine.
After a phone call between Russian and Turkish presidents, the Kremlin claimed, "Vladimir Putin highlighted the destructive course of the Kyiv government, which is counting on the deepening of hostilities with the help of Western backers, who are expanding the supply of weapons and military equipment."
After numerous failures in the fall, Russia is trying to regain the initiative by bombing energy facilities and redoubling its efforts in the battle to seize the town of Bakhmut, in the east of the country, where bloody fighting has been taking place since the summer.
IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi is expected to arrive in Ukraine on Monday. In a tweet before his departure, he stressed that the agency would expand its presence in this country "to help prevent a nuclear accident in times of ongoing conflict".
