MOSCOW, April 6 — The spokesperson of Russia’s foreign ministry said on Wednesday that images of dead bodies strewn across the Ukrainian town of Bucha, which Russia says were staged, were designed to justify more sanctions against Moscow and derail peace talks with Kyiv.

Ukraine has accused the Russian military of massacring residents of Bucha, an area outside the capital Kyiv which Russian troops had occupied for several weeks before withdrawing. Western countries have called for those responsible for the murder of civilians to be punished. — Reuters