Bucha massacre

Bucha massacre
Part of the Battle of Bucha
Photo of civilians shot in Bucha, one with wrists tied
Bucha massacre is located in Kyiv Oblast
Bucha
Bucha
Kyiv
Kyiv
Location of Bucha in Kyiv Oblast
LocationBucha, Kyiv Oblast, Ukraine
DateMarch 2022; 2 years ago
TargetCivilians
Attack type
Mass murder (including torture and execution), looting and rape
Deaths
Perpetrators 234th Guards Air Assault Regiment (denied by Russia)
MotiveAnti-Ukrainian sentiment;[4]
genocidal intent (alleged;[note 1] recognised as such by the Ukrainian Rada[11])

The Bucha massacre (Ukrainian: Бучанська різанина, romanized: Buchanska rizanyna; Russian: Резня в Буче, romanized: Reznya v Buche) was the mass murder of Ukrainian civilians and prisoners of war[12] by the Russian Armed Forces during the fight for and occupation of the city of Bucha as part of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Photographic and video evidence of the massacre emerged on 1 April 2022 after Russian forces withdrew from the city.[13][14]

According to local authorities, 458 bodies have been recovered from the town, including nine children under the age of 18. Among the victims, 419 people were killed with weapons and 39 appeared to have died of natural causes, possibly related to the occupation.[1][15] The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights documented the unlawful killings, including summary executions, of at least 73 civilians in Bucha.[16][3] Photos showed corpses of civilians, lined up with their hands bound behind their backs, shot at close range.[17] An inquiry by Radio Free Europe reported the use of a basement beneath a campground as a torture chamber.[18][19] Many bodies were found mutilated and burnt,[20][21] and girls as young as fourteen reported being raped by Russian soldiers.[20][22] In intercepted conversations, Russian soldiers referred to these operations involving hunting down people in lists, filtration, torture, and execution as zachistka ("cleansing").[23] Ukraine has asked the International Criminal Court to investigate what happened in Bucha as part of its ongoing investigation of the invasion to determine whether a series of Russian war crimes or crimes against humanity were committed.[24] The massacre was described by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as genocide.[25]

Russian authorities have denied responsibility and instead claimed that Ukraine faked footage of the event or staged the killings itself as a false flag operation,[26] and have claimed that the footage and photographs of dead bodies were a "staged performance".[27] These assertions by Russian authorities have been debunked as false by various groups and media organizations.[note 2] Additionally, eyewitness accounts from residents of Bucha said that the Russian Armed Forces carried out the killings.[36][37][38]

  1. ^ a b "At least 458 Ukrainians died in the Bucha community as a result of the actions of the Russians". babel.ua. 8 August 2022. Archived from the original on 13 September 2022. Retrieved 13 September 2022.
  2. ^ The situation of human rights in Ukraine in the context of the armed attack by the Russian Federation, 24 February to 15 May 2022 (Report). OHCHR. 29 June 2022. para. 80. Archived from the original on 2 July 2022. Retrieved 9 August 2022.
  3. ^ a b "UN report details summary executions of civilians by Russian troops in northern Ukraine". OHCHR. Archived from the original on 26 January 2023. Retrieved 21 January 2023.
  4. ^ Appleba, Anne (25 June 2022). "Ukraine and the Words that Lead to Mass Murder". The Atlantic. Archived from the original on 16 May 2022. Retrieved 17 July 2022.
  5. ^ "Independent Legal Analysis of the Russian Federation's Breaches of the Genocide Convention in Ukraine and the Duty to Prevent" (PDF). New Lines Institute for Strategy and Policy; Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights. 27 May 2022. Archived (PDF) from the original on 16 June 2022. Retrieved 22 July 2022.
  6. ^ Nazarchuk, Irina (4 April 2022). 'Знищують за те, що українці'. Правники та дипломати наголошують на геноциді в Бучі ["They are being destroyed because they are Ukrainians". Workers and diplomats emphasize the genocide in Bucha]. Радіо Свобода (in Ukrainian). Archived from the original on 14 April 2022. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
  7. ^ "Kyiv mayor says Russian attacks in Bucha are 'genocide'". The Times of Israel. AP. 3 April 2022. Archived from the original on 3 April 2022. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
  8. ^ Buncombe, Andrew (4 April 2022). "Killings in Ukraine amount to genocide, Holocaust expert says". The Independent. Archived from the original on 9 April 2022. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
  9. ^ Finkel, Eugene (5 April 2022). "Opinion | What's happening in Ukraine is genocide. Period". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 12 April 2022. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
  10. ^ Wright, George (13 April 2022). "Ukraine war: Is Russia committing genocide?". BBC News. Archived from the original on 22 April 2022. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
  11. ^ "Rada recognizes Russian army's actions in Ukraine as genocide of Ukrainian people". Interfax-Ukraine. 14 April 2022. Archived from the original on 29 April 2022. Retrieved 14 April 2022.
  12. ^ Al-Hlou, Yousur; Froliak, Masha; Khavin, Dmitriy; Koettl, Christoph; Willis, Haley; Cardia, Alexander; Reneau, Natalie; Browne, Malachy (22 December 2022). "Caught on Camera, Traced by Phone: The Russian Military Unit That Killed Dozens in Bucha". The New York Times. p. 4 min 54 s ff. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 24 December 2022. Retrieved 24 December 2022.
  13. ^ "Russia's Bucha 'Facts' Versus the Evidence". Bellingcat. 4 April 2022. Archived from the original on 4 April 2022. Retrieved 20 April 2022.
  14. ^ Litavrin, Maksim (5 April 2022). "Буча. Разбираем российские версии" [Bucha. Parsing Russian versions]. Медиазона (in Russian). Archived from the original on 8 April 2022. Retrieved 20 April 2022.
  15. ^ "Accounting of bodies in Bucha nears completion". Washington Post. 8 August 2022. Archived from the original on 9 August 2022. Retrieved 13 September 2022.
  16. ^ The situation of human rights in Ukraine in the context of the armed attack by the Russian Federation, 24 February to 15 May 2022 (Report). OHCHR. 29 June 2022. para. 80. Archived from the original on 2 July 2022. Retrieved 9 August 2022.
  17. ^ Patel, Mira (7 April 2022). "Explained: What happened in Ukraine's Bucha, and was it 'genocide'?". The Indian Express. Mumbai. Archived from the original on 6 April 2022. Retrieved 9 April 2022.
  18. ^ Sachalko, Borys (5 April 2022). "Inside An 'Execution Cellar' In Ukraine". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. Archived from the original on 7 April 2022. Retrieved 9 April 2022.
  19. ^ Rainsford, Sarah (16 May 2022). "The children's camp that became an execution ground". BBC News. Archived from the original on 16 May 2022. Retrieved 16 May 2022.
  20. ^ a b Limaye, Yogita (11 April 2022). "Ukraine conflict: 'Russian soldiers raped me and killed my husband'". BBC News. Archived from the original on 7 May 2022. Retrieved 4 May 2022.
  21. ^ Stashevskyi, Oleksandr; Anna, Cara (6 April 2022). "In Bucha, Ukraine, burned, piled bodies among latest horrors". ABC News. Associated Press. Archived from the original on 6 April 2022. Retrieved 9 April 2022.
  22. ^ Nsubuga, Jimmy (6 April 2022). "Women and girls as young as 14 report being raped by Russian soldiers". Yahoo! News. Archived from the original on 6 April 2022. Retrieved 9 April 2022.
  23. ^ "How Russian Soldiers Ran a "Cleansing" Operation in Bucha, Ukraine". FRONTLINE. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
  24. ^ "Retreat of Russian forces uncovers evidence of possible war crimes". El País. 3 April 2022. Archived from the original on 4 April 2022. Retrieved 4 April 2022.
  25. ^ Kinetz, Erika (4 April 2022). "War Crimes Watch: Hard Path to Justice in Bucha, Ukraine, Atrocities". Frontline. PBS. Archived from the original on 7 April 2022. Retrieved 5 April 2022.
  26. ^ "Russia denies military forces killed Bucha civilians in Ukraine". Al Jazeera English. 4 April 2022. Archived from the original on 4 April 2022. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  27. ^ "Russia denies killing civilians in Ukraine's Bucha". Reuters. Reuters. 3 April 2022. Archived from the original on 3 April 2022. Retrieved 4 April 2022.
  28. ^ Cite error: The named reference Bellingcat 4 April was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  29. ^ Weber, Joscha; Wesolowski, Kathrin (5 April 2022). "Fact check: Atrocities in Bucha not 'staged'". Deutsche Welle. Archived from the original on 7 April 2022. Retrieved 5 April 2022.
  30. ^ "Bucha killings: Satellite image of bodies site contradicts Russian claims". BBC News. 11 April 2022. Archived from the original on 7 April 2022. Retrieved 4 April 2022.
  31. ^ Lajka, Arijeta; Tulp, Sophia (4 April 2022). "Video does not show staged bodies in Bucha". AP News. Archived from the original on 7 April 2022. Retrieved 6 April 2022.
  32. ^ "No, the discovery of bodies in Ukraine's Bucha was not 'staged' with 'actors'". AFP Fact Check. Agence France-Presse. 6 April 2022. Archived from the original on 7 April 2022. Retrieved 6 April 2022.
  33. ^ "Ukraine: Russian forces must face justice for war crimes in Kyiv Oblast". Amnesty International. 6 May 2022. Archived from the original on 6 May 2022. Retrieved 6 May 2022.
  34. ^ Cite error: The named reference NYT_satellite was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  35. ^ de Abreu, Catalina Marchant (4 April 2022). "Truth or Fake - Debunking Russian claims that Bucha killings are staged". France 24. Archived from the original on 11 August 2022. Retrieved 11 August 2022.
  36. ^ Lee, Joseph; Faulkner, Doug (6 April 2022). "Ukraine war: Bucha deaths 'not far short of genocide' – PM". BBC News. Archived from the original on 7 April 2022. Retrieved 6 April 2022.
  37. ^ Cite error: The named reference Reuters Russian retreat leaves trails was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  38. ^ Cite error: The named reference vottak2022 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).


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