Four years after the de-occupation of Bucha, 124 of the most audacious crimes committed during the Russian occupation of the city have been uncovered, including 84 murders and 40 instances of cruel treatment of civilians, the National Police reported. According to data released in a video by Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko, 97 representatives of the Russian occupation forces have been notified of suspicion for crimes in Bucha, UNN writes.
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March 31st marks the day of Bucha's de-occupation. It was here, as noted by the National Police, that some of the first documented cases of abduction and torture, sexual violence, mass killings of civilians, street executions, and attempts to conceal crimes that shocked the entire world with their brutality were recorded. Virtually the entire city became a crime scene. Under these circumstances, investigators began systematically collecting evidence according to international crime investigation standards.
Within the framework of the investigation, 124 of the most audacious crimes have already been uncovered, including 84 murders and 40 instances of cruel treatment of civilians in its various manifestations
As of today, 97 representatives of the Russian occupation forces involved in committing war crimes directly in the city of Bucha have been identified and notified of suspicion, as well as 118 individuals who committed war crimes in the Bucha district. Indictments against 157 of them have been sent to court, and 29 individuals have been convicted
According to the police, four years after the de-occupation of Bucha, "98.3% of the deceased have been identified, and their bodies have been handed over to families for burial." A separate search group of the National Police is working to establish the circumstances of the abduction and removal of more than fifty Bucha residents outside of Ukraine.
"Irrefutable evidence has been collected, which resulted in the notification of suspicion to 59 Russian servicemen, including 10 commanders. Indictments against 46 defendants have been sent to court. In total, more than 2,500 Russian servicemen who were in the city have been identified, the vast majority of whom are military personnel of the 234th Airborne Assault Regiment of the Russian Federation," the National Police stated.
One of the most illustrative episodes, as reported by the police, was the investigation into the shootings at the intersection of Vokzalna and Yablunska streets. "Investigators identified all 12 servicemen of the 234th Airborne Assault Regiment of the Russian Federation who, from March 5 to March 9, 2022, killed 16 civilians there. People were shot right on the road as they tried to evacuate or find food. The commander of this unit was also identified, after which he was notified of suspicion for ordering to open fire on civilians," the police reported.
Another large-scale episode is the mass killings in the area of Ivan Franko, Maksym Rydzanych, and Naberezhna streets. "Russian soldiers entered yards, drove people out into the street, stripped them, checked their mobile phones, and then decided to execute them. After shooting people, the occupiers burned some of these bodies. The remains of the burned bodies were discovered by police and forensic experts in the first days of de-occupation," the police stated.
It is precisely such cases, as noted by the National Police, that formed the basis for developing the practice of holding the command staff of the Russian armed forces accountable. It was in Bucha that the approach of command responsibility was first applied in accordance with the norms of the Geneva Conventions, which became an important precedent for national practice.
"Investigators are already working on cases involving higher-level commanders, and the question is no longer about the possibility of prosecution, but about the implementation of a clear action plan, which makes it a matter of time," the police emphasized.