Media: Japan is considering the possibility of expelling some of the Russian diplomats

TokyoTOKYO, Apr 8The Japanese government is considering the possibility of expelling some of the Russian diplomats in connection with the events in Bucha, the Fuji-TV news service reported, citing a government source. connection with the events in Bucha. As a government source told the TV channel, «this is a different dimension.» Until now, the precedents when Japan declared foreign diplomats persona non grata could be counted on the fingers: in 1973, a diplomat was expelled from South Korea, in 2006 — from Cote d Ivoire and in 2012 the Syrian ambassador to Japan was expelled. A number of Western countries announced the expulsion of Russian diplomats. According to RIA Novosti estimates on Tuesday, about 300 people were deported in a little over a month, and this figure is growing. Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine on February 24th. President Vladimir Putin called its goal «the protection of people who have been subjected to bullying and genocide by the Kiev regime for eight years.» For this, according to him, it is planned to carry out «demilitarization and denazification of Ukraine», to bring to justice all war criminals responsible for «bloody crimes against civilians» in Donbass. According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, the Armed Forces strike only at military infrastructure and Ukrainian troops and , on March 25, completed the main tasks of the first stage — significantly reduced the combat potential of Ukraine. The main goal in the Russian military department was called the liberation of Donbass.American analyst accused Ukrainian troops of killing residents of BuchaUkrainian authorities and the media distributed a video allegedly filmed in the city of Bucha, Kiev region, where the bodies of the dead lie on the road. Many Internet users questioned the credibility of Kyiv's accusations against Moscow, noting that there was no blood near the bodies on the ground, and some of the dead had white armbands on their sleeves and could have been killed by Ukrainian security forces or territorial defense. Also, users noticed that the “dead” move their hands, and when looking in the rear-view mirror of the operator’s car, it seems that one of the “dead” changes position as soon as the car passes by. The Russian Defense Ministry said that all photos published by the Kiev regime and video materials allegedly testifying to some kind of «crimes» by Russian servicemen in Bucha are «another provocation.» As noted in the military department, during the time this settlement was under the control of the Russian Armed Forces, not a single local resident suffered from any violent actions. The ministry noted that all Russian units completely left Bucha on March 30, and exits from the city in the northern direction were not blocked, while the southern outskirts, including residential areas, were shelled by Ukrainian troops around the clock from large-caliber artillery, tanks and multiple launch rocket systems. Press Secretary of the President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Peskov said that Russia categorically rejects any accusations of involvement in the death of people in Bucha and demands that international leaders not rush to sweeping accusations against Russia, but listen to Moscow's arguments. According to him, Russian diplomats will continue to promote the topic of the provocation in Bucha on the agenda of the UN Security Council. «