Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj says he firmly believes that those responsible for the war against his country will be held accountable. The way for the punishment of the Russian perpetrators had been paved at an international conference in the Ukrainian Lviv, said Zelenskyj on Sunday in his evening video address. Meanwhile, the fighting in eastern Ukraine continues unabated.
Zelenskyj: All murderers must be punished
"All Russian murderers, every organizer of this aggression, anyone who in any way ensures the war against our country and terror against our people, they must all be punished," Zelensky said. The foundation stone for this had already been laid at the international conference "United for Justice" in Lviv in recent days.
The just punishment of those responsible for the war is "not just a dream," Zelenskyi stressed. "This is work that is already underway." The world is "strong enough" to punish Russia for war. "And we will give the world the courage and the means to carry out the punishment."
At the conference in Lviv, it was agreed, among other things, to establish a new International Centre for the Prosecution of War Crimes. It is intended to secure evidence for future court proceedings.
Ukraine has been trying for months with its supporters to form an international court along the lines of the Nuremberg Tribunal for Nazi War Criminals, before which leading representatives of Russia are to answer for the war against the neighboring country.
Kiev: Russian troops continue attacks on Bakhmut
Meanwhile, the Russian military continued its fight on Sunday to capture the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut. "They (the Russian troops) do not stop attacking Bakhmut and the surrounding settlements," the Ukrainian General Staff in Kiev said in its situation report in the evening. Numerous settlements around Bakhmut were shelled with mortars and artillery. The generals in Kiev did not provide any information on any territorial gains or losses.
So far, Bakhmut has been harassed from three sides, only one side in the west is still open and offers Ukrainian troops a corridor for a possible withdrawal. "The defenders are holding their position," said Sehiy Cherevaty, spokesman for Ukraine's Army Group East. "And we have the ability to deliver ammunition, provisions and medicine, as well as transport the wounded."
Russian troops have been trying for weeks to capture the city of Bakhmut, which has been declared a fortress. Russia is using the notorious Wagner mercenary force, which, according to Ukrainian reports, has already suffered heavy losses. However, the information is not verifiable.
In its report, the General Staff in Kiev also spoke of "unsuccessful offensive actions" by Russian troops near Avdiivka and Shakhtarsk in the east of the country. There, too, many villages were fired upon indiscriminately by Russian artillery.