Russia has called a meeting of the UN Security Council to discuss what it called "heinous provocations" by Ukraine, which has denounced the killing of civilians by Russian troops in Busha.

"In light of the hateful provocations of Ukrainian radicals in Bucha, Russia has requested a meeting of the UN Security Council on Monday, April 4," Russia's deputy ambassador to the UN, Dimitri Poliansky, wrote on the social network Twitter, quoted by news portals.

Dmitry Polyansky said he was making the request "in light of the blatant provocation by Ukrainian radicals."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday accused Russian leaders of ordering "torture and killings" in Bucha, in the Kiev region, where mass graves and hundreds of civilians' bodies were found. "Indeed, This is genocide. The elimination of the whole nation and the people. We are the citizens of Ukraine. We have more than 100 nationalities," he said.

"It is about the destruction and extermination of all these nationalities."

In a video address on Sunday night, Zelensky said that "concentrated evil has come to our land," adding that "all crimes of the occupants of our state's territory would be investigated. Those guilty of such crimes will be entered in a special book and all will be found and punished."

Meanwhile, Russia has denied that troops killed civilians in Busha and assured that all the photos and videos published by the Ukrainian government are "a provocation." Former US Ambassador to the UN, Samantha Power, criticized Russia's decision.

"Russia is resorting to the same scenario as Crimea and Aleppo (in Syria): forced to defend the indefensible, Russia demands a UN Security Council meeting to feign outrage," he wrote on Twitter.

"Nobody believes that," added the current head of the United States Agency for International Development.

Since the invasion began more than five weeks ago, Russia has often argued with other Security Council members, exchanging allegations of human rights abuses with the U.S. in particular.

Source: NM