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CNN WHAT MATTERS CNN What Matters Original article: https://view.newsletters.cnn.com/messages/1649030496255ce08104d9dc7/raw Burgess COMMENTARY Peter Burgess | ||
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CNN What Matters by Paul LeBlanc Sunday April 3rd, 2022 ... 8:03 PM Images of dead civilians in Ukraine shake the world : 'This is genocide' That's how Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky described the shocking images of at least 20 civilian men's bodies strewn across the street in Bucha, northwest of the capital of Kyiv, following the withdrawal of Russian forces from the area. Accounts of alleged Russian atrocities, including the horrific images of dead civilians captured by Agence France-Presse on Saturday, are emerging as its forces retreat from areas near Kyiv following a failed bid to encircle the capital. 'The elimination of the whole nation, and the people. We are the citizens of Ukraine. We have more than 100 nationalities. This is about the destruction and extermination of all these nationalities,' Zelensky said Sunday on CBS News' 'Face the Nation' when asked if Russia is carrying out genocide. CNN has not been able to independently confirm the details around the men's deaths. Russia responds. The Russian Ministry of Defense claimed the extensive footage of dead bodies in Bucha was 'fake,' saying 'not a single local resident suffered from any violent actions,' during Russia's occupation of Bucha. 'In the settlements of the Kiev region, Russian military personnel delivered and issued 452 tons of humanitarian aid to civilians,' it said in a statement. A separate statement claimed the footage was staged. The Russian government has consistently responded to allegations of civilian casualties inflicted by Russian forces with blanket denials. CNN team observes a mass grave site. A mass grave has been discovered in the town of Bucha, CNN found. CNN saw at least a dozen bodies in body bags pilled inside the grave. Some were already partially covered. Bodies were first buried in the grave, on the grounds of the Church of St. Andrew and Pyervozvannoho All Saints, in the first days of the war, residents told CNN. Around 150 people, mostly civilians killed in the fighting around the town, are buried there, residents said. The mayor of Bucha said in public remarks on Saturday that there could be up to 300 victims buried on site. CNN was unable to independently verify those numbers or the identities and nationalities of those buried in the grave. 'A punch to the gut.' US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Sunday that the State Department would help document any atrocities the Russian military committed against Ukrainian civilians. “You can’t help but see these images as a punch to the gut,” Blinken told CNN’s Dana Bash on “State of the Union” Sunday, responding to the reports from Bucha. Last month, the State Department formally accused Russian forces of war crimes in Ukraine. Asked Sunday whether Russian troops were committing genocide, Blinken didn't go as far as Zelensky. 'We will look hard and document everything that we see, put it all together, make sure that the relevant institutions and organizations that are looking at this, including the State Department, have everything they need to assess exactly what took place in Ukraine, who's responsible and what it amounts to,' he said. New investigation coming? The top UN official said an 'independent investigation' into the civilians killed in Bucha is “essential” to ensure “effective accountability.” 'I am deeply shocked by the images of civilians killed in Bucha, Ukraine,' UN Secretary-General António Guterres said in a statement Sunday. More sanctions could be on the way. State Department spokesperson Ned Price, meanwhile, hinted at additional US action against Russia coming “very soon” when asked about Zelensky's request for greater G7 sanctions in response to the latest alleged atrocities in Bucha. 'When it comes to our sanctions, we've always said that we will continue applying pressure on President Putin, on the Kremlin, on all of those around him including oligarchs and cronies who are empowering this war of choice against Ukraine, until and unless the Kremlin deescalates, until and unless the violence diminishes, and until and unless these kinds of atrocities come to an end. So I suspect you will very soon see additional pressure applied,” Price told MSNBC on Sunday. 'Not enough': In a video address later on Sunday, in which he called for an end of Russian “war crimes,” Zelensky said of stronger sanctions against Russia: 'I'm sure that's not enough.' 'More conclusions are needed. Not only about Russia, but also about the political behavior that actually allowed this evil to come to our land,' he added. Jens Stoltenberg Expect the attacks to continue. This is not a -real withdrawal of Russian forces,- NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said, warning that attacks in Ukraine will continue. 'What we see is not a real withdrawal. But we see that Russia is repositioning its troops and they are taking some of them back to rearm them, to reinforce them, to resupply them. We should not in a way be too optimistic because the attacks will continue,' Stoltenberg told CNN Sunday. : What else? Covid-19 hospitalizations hit new lows. As of Friday, there are 16,138 people in the hospital with Covid-19 -- fewer than there have ever been since the US Department of Health and Human Services first started tracking in July 2020. Just 2% of hospital beds are in use for Covid-19 patients. Polling coronavirus. Just 3% of Americans said the coronavirus or diseases are the top problem facing the country, per a recent Gallup poll. That's less than half the previous low for this answer (8%), which occurred in mid-2021 when case rates were also falling. Two years ago (April 2020), a record 45% said the coronavirus was the top problem in the country. More from CNN's Harry Enten. Ketanji Brown Jackson's nomination, in context. Of the 3,852 people who have been confirmed as federal judges, a CNN analysis of data from the Federal Judicial Center shows that 240 of them -- 6% -- have been Black. Seventy-one of them have been Black women. More than three-quarters of all the judges have been White men. Midterms snapshot. How likely are Republicans to win the House this fall? Historically, very likely. The party in the White House traditionally loses seats in the first midterm election of a new president's term, which means the January 6 committee is racing against the clock. Who is Madison Cawthorn? The freshman Republican representing North Carolina's 11th Congressional District has in recent weeks become the center of chaos within the GOP. : What are we doing here? We're trying to connect the dots at a time of political, cultural and economic upheaval. All CNN Newsletters | Manage Profile ® © 2022 Cable News Network, Inc. A WarnerMedia Company. All Rights Reserved. One CNN Center Atlanta, GA 30303
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