New Delhi: Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday accused Russia of carrying out "an obvious policy of genocide" in eastern Donbas region as Moscow's aggression in the country enters the third month. Hitting out at Russia for its action, Zelenskyy said it could end up leaving the region "uninhabited," and accused President Vladimir Putin of wanting to reduce its cities to ashes, reported AFP.
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In a televised address, the 44-year-old leader said, "All this, including the deportation of our people and the mass killings of civilians, is an obvious policy of genocide pursued by Russia," as reported by AFP.
In late February, Russian President Vladimir Putin deployed troops into Ukraine saying the campaign was aimed to stop the ‘genocide’of Russian speakers in the pro-Western country.
The Ukraine Parliament supported a resolution in April that recognised the actions of the Russian military in the country as "genocide". Echoing similar sentiment, US President Joe Biden said Putin appeared intent on "trying to wipe out the idea of even being able to be a Ukrainian," reported the news agency.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also shared similar view on Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Menwhile, nine people were killed in fresh Russian shelling in Kharkiv on Thursday, according to a regional official, where many have returned after Russia's attempts to capture the eastern city were repelled, reported AFP.
"Russian shelling in Kharkiv today left nine civilians dead," regional governor Oleg Sinegubov said on social media. A five-month-old child and her father are among the casualties, while mother was gravely wounded, he added. "Nineteen civilians were injured," he said.