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Military operation in Ukraine

Austrian MFA summons Russian ambassador over his interview

On April 3, the Russian Ministry of Defense rebutted Kiev’s accusations of murder of civilians in the town of Bucha, Kiev Region

VIENNA, April 4. /TASS/. Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg on Monday said he summoned Russian Ambassador to Vienna Dmitry Lyubinsky over his interview to an Austrian magazine.

"He will, therefore, be summoned to the Foreign Ministry again," the minister said in an interview with OE-24. "This is a mockery of the victims of the war, when photos from Bucha arrive at the same time. We will clearly tell the ambassador what we think about it."

The minister said that he’s the first Austrian Foreign Minister to expel a Russian diplomat. Schallenberg didn’t rule out more expulsions of Russian diplomats from Austria.

On April 3, the Russian Ministry of Defense rebutted Kiev’s accusations of murder of civilians in the town of Bucha, Kiev Region. The ministry stated that Russian forces completely withdrew from Bucha on March 30, while the "evidence of crimes" didn’t appear until four days later when Ukrainian Security Service officers arrived in Bucha. The Defense Ministry also said that Bucha Mayor Anatoly Fedoruk confirmed in a video address on March 31 that there were no Russian forces in the city, and he didn’t mention any civilians shot and killed in the streets. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov described the situation in Bucha as a "fake news attack."

Some politicians and representatives of international organizations, including UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet, have called for an investigation into the events in Bucha. The leaders of some European countries, as well as the European Commission and the EU external service have already called for new sanctions against Russia.

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Foreign policy Military operation in Ukraine

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