BERLIN, Germany: In the latest condemnation of reports of atrocities against civilians committed by Russian forces in Bucha, Ukraine, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said a “significant number” of employees at the Russian Embassy have been declared undesirable and will be expelled from the country.

Agence France Presse (AFP) also reported that France will expel 35 Russian diplomats.

Reports of the attacks in Bucha have drawn international criticism, and U.S. President Joe Biden said Russian President Vladimir Putin is a war criminal who should be tried for the actions of the Russian military.

Russian authorities have denied the allegations of Russian soldiers killing civilians, and claimed that civilians may have been killed by Ukrainian shelling.

In a tweet, Baerbock wrote, “The images from #Butscha testify to a will to annihilate that transcends all borders. We have therefore declared a significant number of employees of the Russian embassy to be undesirable. We will initiate further reactions together with our partners. We will further tighten the existing sanctions against Russia.”

In an official statement, Baerbock said the diplomats who will be expelled “have worked here in Germany every day against our freedom, against the cohesion of our society.”

“The pictures from Bucha bear witness to the unbelievable brutality of the Russian leadership and of those who follow its propaganda, to a will to annihilate that transcends all borders. We have to fear similar images from many other places that Russian troops have occupied in Ukraine,” Baerbock added.

Meanwhile, the French Foreign Ministry said, in a statement, “France decided this evening to expel many Russian personnel with diplomatic status assigned to France whose activities are contrary to our security interests.”

In a series of expulsions of Russian diplomats from across the globe, in response to its invasion of Ukraine, dozens of Russians were expelled from several European countries over alleged “national security threats.”

On April 4, Lithuania announced that Russia’s ambassador will be required to leave, and the Lithuanian ambassador in Moscow will return home.

Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabriel Landsbergis said, “What the world has seen in Bucha, unfortunately, may only be the beginning. With other liberated cities, we may see more horrific examples of war crimes.”

In addition, Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkvis said his nation is planning to “tighten” its diplomatic relations with Russia.