Moscow - Saba:
Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova announced that the list of 339 Ukrainian minors submitted by the Kyiv delegation in Istanbul came as a shock to those who had spent three years spreading cynical lies about "tens of thousands" of allegedly abducted children.
Sputnik quoted Zakharova as saying on her Telegram channel: "Unfortunately, the UN Secretariat was one of the distributors of fake products. We remember well how they told stories about Bucha, about 'thousands of abducted Ukrainian children,' and accused Russian soldiers of committing sexual violence against Ukrainian women."
She continued: "For three years, the Secretary-General (Antonio Guterres) has still not been able to obtain a list of Bucha's alleged victims, despite regular reminders from Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov."
She added: "With the accusations against Russian soldiers, Guterres' representatives made a mockery of the whole world: they turned out to be completely fabricated, based on outright lies and the sick fantasies of representatives of the Kyiv regime. The stories about tens of thousands of allegedly abducted children also turned out to be false, as the list of wanted Ukrainian minors handed over in Istanbul (which has yet to be examined) includes only 339 people. This came as a shock to everyone involved in spreading this satirical hoax for three years."
In April 2022, the Russian Ministry of Defense stated that photos and videos published by Kyiv, allegedly showing crimes committed by the Russian military in Bucha, Kyiv Oblast, constituted yet another Ukrainian provocation. It noted that during Russia's control of the city, no local residents were subjected to any violence.
The Ministry of Defense noted that all Russian units had completely withdrawn from Bucha on March 30, 2022, and that the city's northern exits were not blocked. Meanwhile, the southern outskirts, including residential areas, were subjected to 24-hour shelling by Ukrainian forces with large-caliber artillery, tanks, and multiple rocket launchers.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Russia categorically rejected any accusations of involvement in the deaths in Bucha and called on international leaders not to rush to level arbitrary accusations against Russia but to listen to Moscow's arguments.