Photo of civilians shot in Bucha, one with wrists tied
Bucha
Kyiv
Location of Bucha in Kyiv Oblast
Location
Bucha, Kyiv Oblast, Ukraine
Date
March 2022; 2 year ago
Target
Civilians
Attack type
Mass murder (including torture and execution), looting and rape
Deaths
458 (according to the Ukrainian government)[1]
73–178 (according to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights)[2][3]
Perpetrators
Russia (denied by Russia)
Motive
Anti-Ukrainian sentiment;[4] genocidal intent (alleged;[note 1] recognised as such by the Ukrainian Rada[11])
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The Bucha massacre (Ukrainian: Бучанська різанина, romanized: Buchanska rizanyna; Russian: Резня в Буче, romanized: Reznya v Buche), also known as the Bucha genocide (Ukrainian: геноцид у Бучі, romanized: henotsyd u Buchi)[12][13][14] was the mass murder of Ukrainian civilians and prisoners of war[15] 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.[16][17]
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][18] The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights documented the unlawful killings, including summary executions, of at least 73 civilians in Bucha.[19][3] Photos showed corpses of civilians, lined up with their hands bound behind their backs, shot at close range.[20] An inquiry by Radio Free Europe reported the use of a basement beneath a campground as a torture chamber.[21][22] Many bodies were found mutilated and burnt,[23][24] and girls as young as fourteen reported being raped by Russian soldiers.[23][25] In intercepted conversations, Russian soldiers referred to these operations involving hunting down people in lists, filtration, torture, and execution as zachistka ("cleansing").[26] 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.[27][28]
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,[29] and have claimed that the footage and photographs of dead bodies were a "staged performance".[30] 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.[39][40][41]
^ ab"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.
^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.
^ ab"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.
^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.
^"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.
^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.
^"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.
^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.
^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.
^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.
^"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.
^""Воєнні злочини і геноцид в Бучі вимагають додаткових санкцій проти Росії": світ реагує на масові вбивства цивільних в Бучі". Радіо Свобода (in Ukrainian). 4 April 2022. Archived from the original on 4 April 2022. Retrieved 4 April 2022.
^"НСЖУ закликає іноземні ЗМІ привертати увагу світу до геноциду в Бучі та Ірпені". www.ukrinform.ua (in Ukrainian). 3 April 2022. Archived from the original on 4 April 2022. Retrieved 4 April 2022.
^"Геноцид у Бучі: Україна зловила російських окупантів на брехні та розвінчала їхні фейки". Апостроф (in Ukrainian). 4 April 2022. Archived from the original on 3 April 2022. Retrieved 4 April 2022.
^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.
^"Russia's Bucha 'Facts' Versus the Evidence". Bellingcat. 4 April 2022. Archived from the original on 4 April 2022. Retrieved 20 April 2022.
^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.
^"Accounting of bodies in Bucha nears completion". Washington Post. 8 August 2022. Archived from the original on 9 August 2022. Retrieved 13 September 2022.
^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.
^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.
^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.
^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.
^ abLimaye, 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.
^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.
^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.
^"How Russian Soldiers Ran a "Cleansing" Operation in Bucha, Ukraine". FRONTLINE. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
^"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.
^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.
^"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.
^"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.
^Cite error: The named reference Bellingcat 4 April was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^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.
^"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.
^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.
^"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.
^"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.
^Cite error: The named reference NYT_satellite was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^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.
^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.
^Cite error: The named reference Reuters Russian retreat leaves trails was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^Cite error: The named reference vottak2022 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
Cite error: There are <ref group=note> tags on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=note}} template (see the help page).
The Buchamassacre (Ukrainian: Бучанська різанина, romanized: Buchanska rizanyna; Russian: Резня в Буче, romanized: Reznya v Buche), also known as the...
and Regiment Deputy Commander Lieutenant Colonel Aleksey Afonin. The Buchamassacre was the mass murder of Ukrainian civilians and prisoners of war by the...
The battle of Bucha was part of the Kyiv offensive in the Russian invasion of Ukraine for control of the city of Bucha. The combatants were elements of...
brigade in 2009. The brigade was among the units that perpetrated the Buchamassacre during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. After the Russian retreat...
Breteau, Pierre (5 April 2022). "Massacre de Boutcha : ce que l'on sait sur la découverte des corps de civils" [Buchamassacre: what we know about the discovery...
Battle of Bucha during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine Buchamassacre, the killing and abuse of Ukrainian civilians by Russian troops Bucha effect,...
Union, the unit "killed, raped and tortured civilians in Bucha, Ukraine" during the Buchamassacre that occurred while the city was under Russian occupation...
Russian versus international views on the Buchamassacre. Russian interviewees routinely denied the massacre, calling it a hoax and propaganda, while people...
many other crimes". Volnovakha bus attack Borozdinovskaya operation Buchamassacre zachistka Censor.NET (2023-10-31). "Russians detain two of their soldiers...
transported 100 kilometres or more. Ukrainian forensic investigations on the Buchamassacre revealed that dozens of civilians had been killed by metal darts ("fléchettes")...
Ukraine, including torture, executions, rape and looting. After the Buchamassacre, Agnès Callamard, Secretary General of Amnesty International, said that...
Zelenskyy reported the town's devastation on 7 April 2022, a week after the Buchamassacre was discovered. 41 bodies had been found under the rubble according...
responsible for the Buchamassacre and calling U.S. President Joe Biden a "war criminal" for "seeking to shift blame for the Bucha murders" to Russia....
Dudayev's government. Novye-Aldy massacre Alkhan-Yurt massacreBuchamassacre Katyr-Yurt massacre List of massacres in Russia Chechnya Diary: A War Correspondent's...
both the Izium and Buchamassacres are "lies". The Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs in an official statement condemned the massacre, and called for respect...
them. Many also reported being beaten by the militia. Main article: Buchamassacre On 1 April 2022, following the Russian withdrawal, video footage was...
They were responsible of running the cleansing operations during the Buchamassacre arresting, torturing and murdering Ukrainian civilians. In September...
Jonathan. "Civilians 'shot in the streets' as Russia accused of massacre in Bucha". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Archived from the original on 2022-04-03...
Lavrov called the Buchamassacre a "fake attack" against Russia, claiming it was staged. He said that Russian forces had left Bucha on 30 March while...
volume of gas delivered to Austria. On 7 April 2022, in the wake of the Buchamassacre discoveries, Austria expelled four Russian diplomats although only stating...
Lira had also shared pro-Russian disinformation such as claiming the Buchamassacre was faked or that the Ukrainian government was a Neo-Nazi regime, and...
звірствувала в передмісті Києва, кадри жаху сколихнули увесь світ [Buchamassacre: the Russian army committed atrocities in the suburbs of Kyiv, horror...
said that the appearance of the editorial around the same time as the Buchamassacre made negotiations more difficult. In September 2022, Reuters reported...
side's allegation that the massacre in Bucha was fake, entitled "Russian Foreign Minister: Uncovering the lies of the Bucha case". As of 6 April, state-run...