Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register April 8 (Reuters) – The president of Russian aluminum giant Rusal on Thursday called for an impartial inquiry into the killing of civilians in the Ukrainian city of Bukha, which he called a crime, and called for an end to the “fratricidal” conflict. While the statement by President Bernard Zonneveld, a Dutch national, did not mention who was to blame for the civilian deaths in the city, it is unusual for a large Russian company to comment publicly on the conflict. Ukraine and several Western governments have accused Moscow of war crimes after the bodies of civilians shot at close range were found in the city of Bukha after a Russian withdrawal. Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register The Kremlin has denied that its forces were responsible for the deaths, and said on Tuesday that Western claims that Russian forces had committed war crimes were “monstrous”. Zonneveld said he was shocked by reports from the city. “We support an objective and impartial investigation into this crime and call for severe punishment for the perpetrators,” he said. “We all wish for an early end to this fratricidal conflict, which is destroying lives, families and entire cities,” he said. “And we want those responsible for such crimes to be properly punished.” Rusal founder Oleg Deripaska said last month that his personal opinion was that the conflict in Ukraine was “madness” that would bring shame to future generations. read more Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register Report by Conor Humphries in Dublin. Edited by: Raju Gopalakrishnan Our role models: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
