US official terms Russia's move to call UNSC meeting over Bucha killings an attempt to 'feign outrage'

A senior US official has slammed Russia for calling United Nations Security Council (UNSC) meeting to address the alleged civilian killings in Bucha, saying it was designed to "feign outrage".

"Russia is drawing from the playbook it used for Crimea & Aleppo: forced to defend the indefensible (here, the Bucha atrocities), Russia is calling a @UN Security Council meeting so it can feign outrage & call for accountability," tweeted US Agency for International Development (USAID) chief, Samantha Power, adding that "nobody is buying it".

The development comes after Russia on Sunday (local time) called for a UNSC meeting to address the alleged killings of Ukrainian civilians in Bucha, a town outside Kyiv.

"In the light of heinous provocation of Ukrainian radicals in #Bucha Russia requested a meeting of UN #SecurityCouncil on Monday April 4," Russia's deputy ambassador to the United Nations Dmitry Polyanskiy tweeted on Sunday (local time).

Notably, the move came after photos and video footage showed civilians' bodies strewn across the streets in Bucha. Reacting to this, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said "this is genocide."

Moreover, US President Joe Biden on Monday called the atrocities allegedly committed by Russia in Bucha, Ukraine, a "war crime" adding that Russian President Vladimir Putin is a "war criminal".

While the European Union also condemned the killings, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged on Sunday to conduct an independent probe of the killing of civilians in Bucha.

However, the Russian Defence Ministry has refuted the claims saying it is 'yet another provocation', reported Sputnik.

Notably, UN authorities are yet to announce if a Security Council meeting will take place as per Russia's request.

( With inputs from ANI )

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