Anthony Albanese calls on government to kick out Russian diplomats

Atrocities in the Ukrainian town of Bucha have prompted the Opposition’s call to join with EU nations and kick Russian diplomats out of Australia.

Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese has called on the Morrison government to immediately expel Russian diplomats in the wake of mass killings and other atrocities in Ukraine.

“Given the reported atrocities by Russian forces in Ukraine, I call on the Morrison Government to expel Russian diplomats, in lock-step with European partners,” said Mr Albanese.

“In recent days, EU countries, including France, Germany and Italy have taken steps to expel 206 Russian diplomats and staff – while allowing Ambassadors to remain in most cases. Australia should follow suit.”

“Foreign Minister Marise Payne has said that the matter is being kept ‘under review … at the highest levels of the Government.’

“It is hard to conceive how the decision can be made to allow these individuals to stay, given the sickening abuses being carried out by Russian forces,” he said.

Repairmen restore local communication cables among the debris of destroyed armoured vehicles and buildings on a street in the town of Bucha, on the outskirts of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv. Picture: Genya Savilov / AFP

This week the world was horrified by the discovery of civilians dead in the Ukrainian town of Bucha, which US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken described as “a deliberate campaign to kill, to torture, to rape, to commit atrocities.”

Mr Blinken also pledged further US military aid to Ukraine amid reports that Russian forces were focusing their efforts on consolidating control of the eastern part of the country in an attempt to create a land bridge with Crimea.

Ukrainian officials say over 400 civilian bodies have been recovered from the wider Kyiv region, many of which were buried in mass graves. Picture: Genya Savilov / AFP

Russian officials said that a “special military operation” would focus on capturing Luhansk and Donetsk, where fighting has taken place since 2014.

Labor also called on the international community to investigate and prosecute war crimes committed in Ukraine.

“Those responsible must be held to account – and in the first instance there must be immediate diplomatic consequences,” Mr Albanese said.

“Labor supports all efforts to ensure these crimes are thoroughly investigated and prosecuted through the International Criminal Court process, including the provision of Australian experts to assist the investigation.”

But federal government sources told The Daily Telegraph while the National Security Committee had considered expelling Russian diplomats from Australia this week, it had ultimately decided not to based on advice from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

The source said the matter had been “under active consideration for some time,” but the advice remained not to do so because it would “almost certainly” result in the closure of the Moscow embassy and it puts Australians living in Russia at risk.

It is understood the government will move in lockstep with Five Eyes partners, which have all so far opted not expel Russian diplomats.

Foreign Minister Marise Payne will meet with NATO foreign ministers to discuss the issue before considering again.