UN Secretary-General visits Ukraine's Borodyanka; describes war an 'absurdity'

Kiev (Ukraine), April 29: During his visit to Ukraine's Borodyanka, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres described the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine as "an absurdity." The UN chief further stated that he imagines his family in one of the rooms which has now been destroyed. "I imagined my family in one of those houses that are now destroyed and black," he said, adding "I see my granddaughters running away in panic, part of the family eventually killed. So, war is an absurdity in the 21st century. The war is evil." Following his visit to Moscow, the UN Chief arrived in Ukraine on Wednesday. Taking to Twitter, UN Chief stated that he will continue the work to expand the humanitarian support to Ukraine and will also secure the evacuation of civilians from conflict zones. "I have arrived in Ukraine after visiting Moscow. We will continue our work to expand humanitarian support & secure the evacuation of civilians from conflict zones. The sooner this war ends, the better - for the sake of Ukraine, Russia, and the world," he said. After the Secretary-General returned to Kiev, Kris Janowski - the UN Spokesperson in Ukraine remarked that it was a sad and shocking experience to visit these places and people are traumatised by what has happened to them. "The Secretary-General was visibly affected - personally affected by it. He saw his own family hypothetically in this same situation. It's a terrifying thought for us all," Janowski added. Also Read | AAP to set up mohalla clinics in Punjab; process starts "You have villages, malls, mundane suburban scenery, suddenly disrupted by war, and littered with destroyed vehicles. There are signs of terror and destruction everywhere", he said, however, residents are returning. Janowski went on to say that the UN chief had spoken with the governor of Borodianka, who noted that while people were slowly returning, they were still looking for bodies in some of the houses. After 43 States Parties requested an investigation, ICC Prosecutor Khan started an investigation into possible war crimes and crimes against humanity on March 2. The focus of the probe is "alleged crimes committed in the context of the situation in Ukraine since 21 November 2013". Since the probe started, a team of analysts, anthropologists and investigators has already assessed several locations in Ukraine, including Lviv, Kyiv and Bucha, ICC Prosecutor said. Also Read | India reports 3,377 new Covid-19 cases in 24 hours -PTC News