Putin and Lukashenko have a new false narrative about the atrocities in Bucha

Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) shakes hands with Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko during their meeting in Sochi on February 22, 2021.

ALEXEI DRUZHININ | AFP | Getty Images

Russian President Vladimir Putin and his closest ally, President Alexander Lukashenko of Belarus, are promoting a new false narrative about who's to blame for the murders, rapes and torture of hundreds of civilians in Bucha, Ukraine.

They insist it was not Russian soldiers who went on a month-long rampage of looting and killing, even as witnesses, satellite imagery and forensic evidence have suggested otherwise.

The real culprits are British operatives who conducted a "psychological special operation" in the leafy suburb of Kyiv, Lukashenko claims without evidence.

Lukashenko and Putin spoke at a space launch facility in Vostochny, in Russia's Far East. It was Putin's first public appearance outside of Moscow since Russia launched its brutal Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine.

The British Embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Chelsea Ong

A "trade rupture" between Germany and Russia could set off a macro financial shock, S&P Global's chief economist said.

German manufacturing one of three global manufacturing centers besides the U.S. and China could be dented as a result of the rupture, Paul Gruenwald told CNBC's "Squawk Box Asia."

"Looking at a downside scenario there's kind of several different ways to play that but we think the one that would really move the macro needle is some sort of trade rupture between Russia and Europe,"

"That would feed through to ... lower GDP, lower employment, lower confidence and then we would get a kind of a macro financial shock out of that. So that's the sort of scenario we're worried about that could move the needle," he warned.

Weizhen Tan

U.S. President Joe Biden boards Air Force One on travel to Iowa at the Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, April 12, 2022.

Alexander Drago | Reuters

President Joe Biden says the mounting evidence of atrocities committed by Russian soldiers in Ukraine is starting to look to him like something worse than isolated war crimes. It looks like genocide, the president said.

"I called it genocide because it has become clearer and clearer that Putin is just trying to wipe out the idea of even being able to be Ukrainian," Biden said late Tuesday evening.

"The evidence is mounting. It looks different than last week. More evidence is coming out literally of the horrible things that the Russians have done in Ukraine," he said.

Hours earlier, Biden had shocked the world by calling Putin's war a "genocide" for the first time.

Speaking at an event about inflation in Iowa, Biden said to the audience, "Your family budget, your ability to fill up your tank, none of it should hinge on whether a dictator declares war and commits genocide a half a world away."

A White House adviser quickly went on TV to clarify that Biden's words did not reflect a change in U.S. policy towards Ukraine.

Biden acknowledged that the legal definition of "genocide" was separate from his impression of what's going on in Ukraine.

Nonetheless, the president did not revise his initial assessment. "We're going to only learn more and more about the devastation, and we'll let the lawyers decide internationally whether or not it qualifies" as a genocide under international law. "But it sure seems that way to me," said Biden.

The statement drew immediate praise from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who tweeted at Biden moments after he spoke on the tarmac.

Christina Wilkie

U.S. President Joe Biden addresses the North Americas Building Trades Unions (NABTU) Legislative Conference in Washington, U.S., Aprl 6, 2022. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

Kevin Lamarque | Reuters

PresidentJoe Bidenon Tuesday called Russian President Vladimir Putin's actions inUkraine"genocide."

In remarks in Iowa, the president blamed Putin for recentprice hikesat the pump. "Your family budget, your ability to fill up your tank, none of it should hinge on whether a dictator declares war and commits genocide half a world away," said Biden.

The president had stopped short on April 5 of calling the atrocities in Bucha a genocide, when asked by reporters whether Russian actions there fit that definition. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said then that the killings documented so far in Ukraine did not rise to the level of "genocide" as defined by the U.S. government.

The State Department has a lengthy internal process for determining if mass killing amounts to genocide, including collecting evidence over a period of time.

NBC News

Russian soldiers patrol the Mariupol Drama Theatre, which was hit by an airstrike on March 16.

Editor's note: These pictures was taken during a trip organized by the Russian military.

A Russian soldier patrols the Mariupol Drama Theatre, which was hit March 16 by an airstrike, on April 12, 2022 in Mariupol, as Russian troops intensify a campaign to take the strategic port city, part of an anticipated massive onslaught across eastern Ukraine. Editor's note: This picture was taken during a trip organized by the Russian military.

Alexander Nemenov | AFP | Getty Images

A Russian soldier patrols the Mariupol Drama Theatre, which was hit March 16 by an airstrike, on April 12, 2022 in Mariupol. Editor's note: This picture was taken during a trip organized by the Russian military.

Alexander Nemenov | AFP | Getty Images

A Russian soldier collects weapons found while patrolling at the Mariupol drama theatre, hit last March 16 by an airstrike, on April 12, 2022 in Mariupol. Editor's note: This picture was taken during a trip organized by the Russian military.

Alexander Nemenov | AFP | Getty Images

A Russian soldier patrols the Mariupol drama theatre, hit March 16 by an airstrike, on April 12, 2022 in Mariupol, as Russian troops intensify a campaign to take the strategic port city. Editor's note: This picture was taken during a trip organized by the Russian military.

Alexander Nemenov | AFP | Getty Images

The Russian flag displayed on a laptop screen with binary code code overlaying.

Nurphoto | Getty Images

Russian military hackers tried and failed to attack Ukraine's energy infrastructure last week, the country's government and a major cybersecurity company said Tuesday.

The attack was designed to infiltrate computers connected to multiple substations, then delete all files, which would shut that infrastructure down, according to Ukraine'ssummaryof the incident.

ESET, a Slovakia-based cybersecurity company working to help secure Ukrainian infrastructure, said in asummary of the attackthat it was conducted by the same arm of Russia's military intelligence agency, GRU, that had previously successfully executed similar attacks in 2014 and 2015.

In both of those incidents, some residents of Kyivtemporarily lost power.

NBC News

President Zelenskyy posted on social media a photo of Viktor Medvedchuk with "A special operation was carried out thanks to the SBU. Well done! Details later. Glory to Ukraine!" Written underneath.

Courtesy: Office of Presidency of Ukraine

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced the apparent capture of Viktor Medvedchuk, a pro-Kremlin politician who was living in Ukraine under house arrest on treason charges but allegedly escaped shortly after Russia launched its invasion.

"A special operation was carried out thanks to the SBU," Zelenskyy wrote in Russian on his verified account on the social media platform Telegram, referencing Ukraine's Security Service. "Well done! Details later. Glory to Ukraine!"

Above that caption, Zelenskyy posted a photo showing a disheveled Medvedchuk seated by a radiator with his hands clasped in handcuffs.

Medvedchuk was the
leader of a pro-Russian opposition party in Ukraine and a staunch opponent of Kyiv's appeals to join NATO.

Kevin Breuninger

A satellite image shows armoured vehicles at the northern end of a military convoy moving south through the Ukrainian town of Velykyi Burluk, Ukraine, April 8, 2022.

Maxar Technologies | Reuters

A senior U.S. Defense official told reporters on a call that a new convoy of Russian vehicles is approximately 37 miles north of Izyum, in eastern Ukraine.

The town of Izyum lies on a major road between Kharkiv and the Russian-separatists areas of Luhansk and Donetsk in eastern Ukraine.

The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity in order to share new details from U.S. intelligence reports, said the Pentagon believes the miles-longconvoy is working to resupply Russian forces.

Satellite images of the convoy emerged as the Kremlin appears to reorient its war in Ukraine to the east after failing to seize Kyiv.

A satellite image shows armoured vehicles and trucks at the southern end of a military convoy moving south through the Ukrainian town of Velykyi Burluk, Ukraine, April 8, 2022. Picture taken April 8, 2022.

Maxar Technologies | Reuters

"We do assess that it's moving but not at breakneck speed," the official said, adding that it was not clear how many vehicles are in the convoy and how fast it is traveling.

The official added that is not entirely clear where the convoy is going but reiterated that Western intelligence reports assess Russia will soon intensify its military campaign in eastern and southern Ukraine.

Amanda Macias

A Russian national flag flies by destroyed buildings in Mariupol on April 12, 2022, as Russian troops intensify a campaign to take the strategic port city, part of an anticipated massive onslaught across eastern Ukraine, while Russia's President makes a defiant case for the war on Russia's neighbour. - *EDITOR'S NOTE: This picture was taken during a trip organized by the Russian military.*

Alexander Nemenov | AFP | Getty Images

The coastal Ukrainian city of Mariupol is taking the brunt of Russia's ongoing siege as Western security officials warn thatthe Kremlin will soon intensify its military campaign there.

"It's obvious that the Russians want Mariupol because of its strategic location," Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said, noting that it's a major port city that gives them "unfettered and unhindered land access between the Donbas and Crimea." The two territories are held by Russia and Russian-back separatists.

Kirby said the Pentagon has observed Russian forces focus a lot of their strikes on Mariupol and on the Donbas area.

"I don't have perfect knowledge of every missile or long-range fire that the Russians are firing into Mariupol. It continues to be under attack from airstrikes," Kirby added. Earlier in the day, a senior U.S. Defense official told reporters on a call that since the Kremlin's Feb. 24 invasion, Russian forces have launched more than 1,540 missiles into Ukraine.

Ukrainian officials claimed on Monday that Russian forces have used chemical weapons in Mariupol.

Amanda Macias

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson shake hands before a meeting, as Russia's attack on Ukraine continues, in Kyiv, Ukraine April 9, 2022.

Ukrainian Presidential Press Service | Reuters

President Joe Biden held a secure 45-minute call with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson this morning, just days after Johnson returned from a surprise trip to Ukraine.

Johnson told Biden he was "humbled" by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's "strength and resolve" after meeting the unlikely war hero in Kyiv, according to a Downing Street spokesman.

Johnson also updated the president on Britain's latest package of weapons for Ukraine, which includes the Harpoon anti-ship missile that experts say Ukraine could use to break Russia's blockade of its Black Sea ports.

A White House statement on the call said Biden and Johnson, "welcomed ongoing cooperation with allies and partners to impose severe costs on Russia for its unprovoked and unjustified war."

--- Christina Wilkie

Residential buildings that were damaged during the Ukraine-Russia conflict in the southern port city of Mariupol, Ukraine, on April 3, 2022.

Pavel Klimov | Reuters

The Pentagon is not yet able to confirm reports of Russian forces using chemical weapons in the Ukrainian city of Mariupol.

"We are not on the ground. We don't have perfect visibility. And so we're doing the best we can to try to get get to some better conclusion. We are still actively looking at this," a senior U.S. Defense official said on a call with reporters.

"We know that the Russians have a history of using chemical agents and they have shown a propensity in the past and so we're taking it seriously," the official said, referencing Russian use of chemical weapons in Syria.

On Monday, Pentagon press secretary John Kirby described the reports of a potential chemical munition in Mariupol as "deeply concerning."

"These reports, if true, are deeply concerning and reflective of concerns that we have had about Russia's potential to use a variety of riot control agents, including tear gas mixed with chemical agents, in Ukraine," Kirby wrote in a statement.

Amanda Macias

Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak, asked about comments by Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier on Tuesday that peace talks between the two countries were at a dead-end, said negotiations were very hard but they were continuing.

Podolyak also told Reuters that Russia was trying to put pressure on the talks with its public statements and that negotiations were continuing at the level of working sub-groups.

Reuters

Vehicles of the US army are seen at a temporary base installed close to the Rzeszow-Jasionka Airport, south eastern Poland, February 16, 2022.

Wojtek Radwanski | AFP | Getty Images

The $800 million U.S. weapons package approved by the Biden administration last month for the fight in Ukraine is nearly complete, a senior U.S. Defense official confirmed.

"We're very close to finishing it out. We believe we'll be done by the middle of the month and that should, that should close it out. We're also working on the next one, which you know is $100 million for the Javelins," the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said on a call with reporters.

AeroVironment Switchblade 600 Drone

Courtesy: AeroVironment

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Biden calls Putin's actions in Ukraine 'genocide'; Putin warns Russia cannot be isolated from the West - CNBC