Russia has finally changed its stance on the bombing of a Ukrainian hospital in Mariupol, with a series of statements ranging from aggressive denials to a request from the Kremlin to clarify the facts.
The Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said that three people, including a child, were killed in Wednesday's bombing and dismissed Russian claims that there were no patients there. "As always, they lie with confidence", said Zelensky, who accused Moscow of committing genocide in the war that started two weeks ago.
Under the light of international condemnation, there are unusual signs of inconsistency in the response of Russian officials, who since the beginning of the Moscow invasion on February 24 have consistently adhered to the same narrative of what Russia calls a 'special military operation' in Ukraine.
The representative of the Kremlin Dmitry Peshkov, asked to comment immediately after, he told Reuters yesterday: "Russian forces are not targeting civilians."
On Thursday, however, he said the Kremlin would look into the incident. "We will definitely ask for information from our army, because you and I do not have clear information about what happened there", Peshkov told reporters. "And the military is very likely to provide some information."
Other Russian officials were more aggressive, dismissing the hospital bombing as "Fake news".
"It's information terrorism", said the representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Maria Zakharova.
Lavrov: The building was for days under the control of radical Ukrainian forces
The Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergei Lavrov put against what he characterized "Mournful voices for the alleged atrocities by the Russian armed forces."
He told reporters after his meeting with the Ukrainian Foreign Minister in Turkey that the hospital building had been under the control of radical Ukrainian forces for days, who had evacuated doctors and patients - a version rejected by Zelensky. lie.
Borrell: The bombing of the pediatric hospital is a "war crime"
"War crime" characterizes the EU High Representative Josep Borrell the bombing of the Mariupol pediatric hospital by Russian forces.
In a Twitter message, the EU High Representative condemned the heinous act, saying: "Mariupol is under siege. The bombing of the maternity hospital by Russia is a heinous war crime. Russian forces must immediately stop air strikes on residential areas, as well as block access to aid convoys. Safe passage required, now ".
#mariupol is under siege.
Russian shelling of maternity hospital is a heinous war crime.
Strikes of residential areas from the air and blocks of access of aid convoys by the Russian forces must immediately stop.
Safe passage is needed, now.#PutinsWar #Accountability
- Josep Borrell Fontelles (@JosepBorrellF) March 10, 2022
Source: Athens News Agency