UK's Boris Johnson appeals to Russians to reject Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine

Boris Johnson urges Russian people to find ways around Kremlin's control of media

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British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has issued a direct appeal to the Russian people to reject President Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine.

In a video message posted online, Mr Johnson described the atrocities committed by Russian troops as a “stain” on the country’s honour.

He urged Russians to get around Mr Putin’s controls on the media by seeking out the truth of what was happening from independent news outlets.

The Kremlin earlier claimed images of civilians said to have been killed by Russian soldiers in the town of Bucha were “fake news”, staged by the Ukrainians.

Mr Johnson said the reports were so shocking that Mr Putin had deliberately sought to hide the truth from his people.

“Your president knows that if you could see what was happening, you would not support his war,” he said.

“He knows that these crimes betray the trust of every Russian mother who proudly waves goodbye to her son as he heads off to join the military.

“And he knows they are a stain on the honour of Russia itself. A stain that will only grow larger and more indelible every day this war continues.”

In the courtyard of their house, Vlad Tanyuk, 6, stands near the grave of his mother Ira Tanyuk, who died because of starvation and stress due to the war, on the outskirts of Kyiv. AP

A Ukrainian soldier walks with children passing destroyed cars due to the war against Russia, in Bucha, on the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine. AP

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy surveys the destruction in Bucha. AFP

Residential buildings damaged during fighting in the southern port city of Mariupol. Reuters

A bridge damaged by shelling in Bucha. EPA

A soldier stationed in Bucha, after the city was the recaptured by the Ukrainian army. EPA

Chervona Voloshin kisses Varvara Statenova goodbye as she heads home to Kyiv after being housed at a shelter for displaced people in Lviv, Ukraine. Getty Images

Parts of a destroyed aircraft at the Antonov airport in Hostomel, outskirts of Kyiv. AP

A Ukrainian territorial defence serviceman walks past a destroyed Russian armoured personnel carrier in the town of Borodianka, north-west of Kyiv. AFP

Tanya Nedashkivska recounts how her husband Vasyl Ivanovych, who served in Ukraine’s navy, was killed by Russian soldiers, in Bucha, Ukraine. He was arrested by Russian soldiers. Tanya looked for him for days and found him in a building's basement where two bodies were lying. She recognised him by his shoes and trousers. AP

Damaged residential buildings in the southern port city of Mariupol. Reuters

Families arrive to board a train at Kramatorsk central station as they flee the eastern city, in the Donbas region. AFP

Romanian politicians listen to President Zelenskyy’s speech by video link, on a screen in the parliament in Bucharest. AP

The remains of a Russian Su-35 aircraft that was hit by the Ukrainian armed forces in Kharkiv. Reuters

A damaged monument to Ukrainian poet Taras Shevchenko in the besieged city of Mariupol, southern Ukraine. Reuters

A man removes a door covering the opening to an underground concrete enclosure in which bodies of civilians killed by Russian forces, residents say, were dumped as people were unable to transport them to a cemetery in Bucha, Ukraine. AP

A Ukrainian soldier tries to convince a puppy to drink milk as residents wait for distribution of food products in Motyzhyn, Ukraine, which was until recently under the control of the Russian military. AP

The pain of war is evident as women wait for food aid in the village of Motyzhyn. AP

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy appears on screen during the 64th Grammy Awards at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. AFP

The gutted interior of a theatre in central Mariupol, destroyed in the course of Ukraine-Russia conflict. Reuters

Desolation in Mariupol which has suffered intense bombardment. Reuters

A Ukrainian soldier walks in front of the remains of an Antonov An-225 Mriya cargo plane, the world's biggest aircraft, destroyed by Russian troops at an airfield in the city of Hostomel, in the Kyiv region. Reuters

A local woman salutes Ukrainian soldiers in the Chernihiv region. Reuters

A woman hugs a Ukrainian soldier after a convoy of military and aid vehicles arrived in the formerly Russian-occupied town of Bucha, near Kyiv. AP

Smoke rises after an attack by Russian forces in Odesa. AFP

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy presents an award to an injured Ukrainian service member at a military hospital in Kyiv. Reuters

A destroyed building in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv. AFP

People, mainly women and children, pass through the Medyka border crossing on their journey out of Ukraine and into Poland. Getty

Mr Johnson said people needed only a VPN connection to access independent information from around the world.

“When you find the truth, share it,” he said. “Those responsible will be held to account. And history will remember who looked the other way.”

“Your president stands accused of committing war crimes. But I cannot believe he’s acting in your name,” Mr Johnson said in Russian.