Russia rejects 'any accusations' regarding Ukraine's city of Bucha

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) - The Kremlin said on Monday it does not accept "any accusations" related to the situation in the Ukrainian city of Bucha, where horrific images of dead civilians have surfaced after Russian withdrawal.

Speaking at a daily briefing in Moscow, spokesman Dmitry Peskov urged global leaders to stop their "sweeping accusations" on Russia.

"We categorically reject any accusations ... this topic should be discussed at the highest possible level. Therefore, Moscow has taken the initiative to consider this topic at the [UN] Security Council," Peskov said.

He said information on the killings of civilians in Bucha "must be seriously questioned," adding that the video, which surfaced four days after the withdrawal of Russian forces, cannot be trusted and experts from the Defense Ministry have identified signs of fake.

"The facts, the calendar sequence of events also speak against the reliability of these statements," the spokesman added.

He, however, refused to tell how the investigation should be conducted. "I can't answer this question right now, but Russia's initiative to bring this topic to the Security Council says itself that Russia wants and actually requires discussion at the international level," Peskov said.

The Russia-Ukraine war, which started on Feb. 24, has drawn international outrage, with Western countries and their allies implementing tough financial sanctions on Moscow.

At least 1,417 civilians have been killed in Ukraine and 2,038 injured, according to UN estimates, with the true figure feared to be much higher.

More than 4.17 million Ukrainians have also fled to neighboring countries, with millions more internally displaced, according to the UN refugee agency.