Russia’s ambassador to Canada is to be summoned to underscore evidence of brutal killings on the outskirts of Kyiv, Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly says.
Joly said the government is seized with the “egregious events” that occurred in Bucha and Irpin over the last several days, which are now garnering global attention as Russian forces retreat from the regions.
“I instructed my deputy minister to summon the Russian ambassador in Ottawa to make sure that he is presented with the images of what happened in Irpin and Bucha,” she told reporters while at NATO headquarters in Brussels.
First-hand accounts of the destruction in the two suburbs from investigators, journalists, and politicians alike paint a horrific picture of what happened. Some describe lifeless bodies flung on the sides of streets with their hands tied behind their backs while others report evidence of rape and torture.
Joly said there is a “level of inhumanity” in what has been seen.
Asked how the Canadian government plans to respond, the foreign affairs minister reiterated Ottawa’s support for the International Criminal Court to investigate Russian war crimes, and the ongoing military aid being sent to Ukraine.
She added that more will be announced in the coming days with regards to further economic sanctions.
Joly’s office has once before summoned Oleg Stepanov after Russia’s initial incursion into Ukraine in late February.
“I summoned the Russian ambassador, I looked at him in the eyes and I told him exactly what I thought was Canada’s position,” Joly said at the time.
Ottawa is facing mounting pressure to expel Russian diplomats in Canada, as key allies move to do so.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told reporters on Parliament Hill on Wednesday that while he acknowledges Russian representatives here are spreading disinformation about the war, removing them could trigger Russia to do the same to Canadian diplomats in Moscow who have a valuable role to play.
“We have to weigh the negative of that against the positive of having extraordinary Canadians in Moscow who are giving us feedback on what the Russian people are doing, connecting with civil society and understanding and supporting Canadians and others who happen to be in Russia at this time,” he said.
“We don’t want to be without resources in Moscow.”
