Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visited the Kyiv suburb of Bucha to mark approximately one year since Russian forces massacred hundreds of civilians, and the subsequent liberation of the area. Photo by Sergey Dolzhenko/EPA-EFE
March 31 (UPI) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky joined heads of state on Friday in the Kyiv suburb of Bucha, to commemorate the massacre during which Russian units killed hundreds of civilians in Bucha and the surrounding neighborhoods last year.
During the ceremony, Zelensky read off the names of 77 of the victims buried in the mass graves as well as the names of 11 Ukrainian soldiers who died defending the area as he was joined by leaders from Croatia, Slovenia, the Slovak Republic, and Moldova at the Church of the Holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called and All Saints.
“When Bucha was de-occupied, the heinous truth about what was happening in the temporarily occupied territories was revealed to the world,” he said. “We will never forget the victims of the war and we will certainly bring all the Russian murders to justice.”
Zelensky also visited the Bucha street where Ukrainian forces eradicated a Russian armored column on Feb. 27, 2022, and posted a video to Telegram detailing the fighting at the time.
“Humanity must remember every Ukrainian city, every street whose heroism and resilience give the future to all who value life,” he said.
Zelensky said more than 200 buildings were damaged in the area and shared images of the street shortly after the expulsion of Russian forces.
Ukraine‘s Prosecutor General, Andriy Kostin alleged on Telegram Friday that Russian forces committed more than 9,000 war crimes in the 33 days they occupied Bucha, claiming as many as 1,400 civilians were killed including 37 children.
He said that indictments against 35 Russian military personnel had been filed, related to the crimes committed there.
“I am convinced that all these crimes are not a coincidence,” Kostin said. “This is part of Russia’s planned strategy aimed at destroying Ukraine as a state and Ukrainians as a nation.”
