Moscow: Ukrainian allegations that Russian troops were involved in war crimes in the city of Bucha near Kiev are not true, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday.
The claims need to be properly investigated and not taken at face value by foreign leaders, he suggested, RT reported.
Information provided by the Ukrainian side “should be subject to serious skepticism”, the official said of the allegations levelled by Kiev.
He claimed that Russian military specialists found evidence of video manipulation and other forms of fabrication coming from Bucha.
“The facts and the timeline likewise speak against the veracity of the claims,” he added.
Bucha, a small city northwest of Ukraine, had been under the control of Russian troops since late February, when Moscow launched its military campaign against its neighbour. The Russian forces withdrew last week, after progress was made in Russia-Ukraine peace talks.
Days later, Ukrainian officials claimed that Russian troops were guilty of war crimes allegedly committed against civilians living in Bucha.
They claimed some non-combatants were summarily executed before the withdrawal and otherwise deliberately targeted by Russian soldiers in what Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba described as “genocide.”
(IANS)
