Zelensky calls on international court to investigate Russia for war crimes

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sunday Russia’s unprovoked attacks “show signs of genocide” and called on the international court at The Hague to investigate.

Driving the news: In a video address posted on Facebook, Zelensky said Russia “deserves an international tribunal. We are documenting their crimes. And there would have been many more of these crimes if it hadn’t been for our courageous defenders,” per a translation on CNN.

The latest: Ukrainian troops were holding off a massive assault from Russia’s military in Kyiv on Sunday, as street fighting erupted in Kharkiv after President Vladimir Putin’s forces entered Ukraine’s second-largest city.

• Ukraine confirmed that Russian forces blew up a gas pipeline in Kharkiv.
• The UN has confirmed at least 240 civilian casualties since the invasion began, but says the “real figures are considerably higher.”

What he’s saying: “We have to call a spade a spade. Russia’s criminal actions against Ukraine show signs of genocide. I spoke about this with the UN Secretary-General,” Zelensky said.

• Russia has claimed it does not attack civilians, an assertion Zelensky has repeatedly called “a lie.”
• “They lied when they said they would not target civilian population. Since the first hours of the invasion, Russian troops have been hitting civilian infrastructure.”
• “This is terror,” Zelensky added.
• Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said that Russia was committing “war crimes,” per CNN, and deliberately attacking civilians.