Russian diplomats should be expelled from the country following reports of horrific war crimes emanating from Ukraine's battlefields, Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese has urged.
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The Labor Leader said on Wednesday evening it was no longer tenable for representatives of the Kremlin to remain in the country.
It comes as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of committing gruesome atrocities in the city of Bucha on the outskirts of Kyiv in a United Nations address.
The war-torn country's leader added Russia's position as a permanent member on the UN security council should be dissolved.
Mr Albanese said France, Germany and Italy had already ejected 206 Russian diplomats and staff from embassies while allowing their ambassadors to remain.
He called on Foreign Minister Marise Payne, who said it was a decision "under review", to do the same in Australia.
"The mass killing of innocent civilians and the use of rape as a weapon of war can only be described as war crimes," he said in a statement.
"Those responsible must be held to account - and in the first instance there must be immediate diplomatic consequences."
The Opposition Leader confirmed Labor would support the thorough investigation through the International Criminal Court of President Zelensky's claims, which include reports of civilians having been tortured, thrown down wells, and crushed to death by tanks while in cars.
Senator Payne weeks earlier considered the expulsion of Moscow's envoys as a "live option" but explained keeping some representatives would be preferred.
"At the same time, it is potentially useful to have direct lines of communication with, in this case, the Russian government ... we're working with partners we always do to determine the best approaches," she said.
Russia's Ambassador to Australia Dr Alexey Pavlovsky met with the secretary of the Foreign Affairs Department in February but has remained relatively secluded from senior political figures.
President Zelensky last week addressed parliamentarians about the grave situation in the eastern European country, requesting Australia send some of its armoured Bushmaster combat vehicles to assist its troops.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison also condemned the actions of Russia's troops, calling Russian President Vladimir Putin the "war criminal of Moscow".
Mr Albanese added Mr Putin's "abhorrent" aggression was in the name of a "poisonous nationalistic lie" but Ukraine remained defiant.