The Bucha tragedy or genocide in Bucha was a mass killing of the Ukrainian civilians in and around the town of Bucha in Kyiv region, accompanied by abductions, torture, rape, including of children, and looting. The crimes were committed by the Russian Armed Forces during the Russian-Ukrainian war during the Russian invasion in March 2022.

The Ukrainian authorities announced over 420 residents killed, called the massacre a genocide of the Ukrainians and asked the International Criminal Court to investigate what had happened in the town. Ukrainian Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov said that the number of people killed by the Russian troops in Bucha, Kyiv Region, was higher than the victims of the tragedy in Vukovar.

Russian authorities deny any wrongdoing and claim the footage and photos of the dead allegedly as a provocation or staged by the Ukrainian authorities. These objections were refuted by international media Bellingcat, Deutsche Welle, The Economist, BBC and The New York Times.

Background

During the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, parts of the Russian military crossed the southern borders of Belarus. One of the first steps was a push towards Kyiv, the country's capital, which was interpreted by many as a decapitation strike, and together with a huge convoy of military vehicles, the Russian troops moved north of Kyiv.

In March 2022, the Russian advanced forces captured the town of Bucha, which is one of the initial suburbs of Kyiv where the Russian troops entered.

In late March, prior to the Russian retreat from Kyiv, Prosecutor General of Ukraine Iryna Venediktova stated that the Ukrainian prosecutors had collected evidence of 2,500 suspected cases of war crimes committed by Russia during the invasion and had identified "several hundred suspects".

Under attack by the Ukrainian military, the Russian troops in the Bucha area retreated north as part of the general Russian retreat from the Kyiv area. The Ukrainian forces entered Bucha on April 1, 2022.

Mass murders

On April 2, 2022, the first videos of what was left after the withdrawal of the Russian troops were posted, showing the mass civilian casualties. After the retreat of the Russian troops from Bucha in late March, there was evidence of numerous atrocities committed by the Russians during the occupation of the town.

18 mutilated bodies of murdered men, women and children were found in the basement. Examination of the bodies revealed signs of torture; ears cut off and teeth pulled out. The corpses of other murdered civilians were left on the road, probably some were killed by Russian explosives as bait before the war perpetrators retreated.

The mayor of Bucha, Anatolii Fedoruk, reported the discovery of a mass grave where 280 people had been buried, and dozens of corpses, some with their hands tied, were left lying in the streets. The main method of killing was a shot to the back of the head. Particular cruelty was found in the last days of the occupation just before the retreat, almost all the men from 18 to 60 who remained in the occupied town were executed.

The Guardian wrote that after the Ukrainian armed forces liberated Kyiv region, they witnessed the shocking devastation of the area: bodies on the roads, executions of civilians, mass graves, and murdered children.

The main streets were strewn with dead civilians going about their daily lives. Corpses of Bucha residents were also found in the yards of houses and other places. The bodies of those killed in Bucha began to appear in the streets on March 11, when Russian troops entered there, and they can be seen on satellite images. The spatial placement of corpses and other objects in the satellite photos coincides with the spatial placement of corpses and other objects in the photos taken after the withdrawal of the Russian troops from Bucha.

Residents and the mayor confirmed that people had been killed by the Russian military. Many seemed to be going about their daily routine, walking their dogs or carrying shopping bags. The bodies were intact, indicating that people had been shot and not killed by explosive ordnance.

Footage shows dead civilians with their hands tied, other footage shows a dead man near his bicycle. Pets and other animals were shot unnecessarily. Journalists who entered the town themselves found the dead civilians.

Ukraine stated that mass graves with 300 people were discovered after the Russians left. Anatolii Fedoruk also confirmed that at least 280 residents were buried in mass graves. Locals had to bury 57 more bodies in another mass grave.

Civilians pointed out that many of the survivors hid from the Russians in basements, too afraid to come out. Some of them had no light or electricity for weeks and used candles to heat water and cook food. Only when it became clear that the Russians were gone did they come out of their hiding places, welcoming the arrival of the Ukrainian troops.

Unlike other cities, the mayor continued to remain in office and was not abducted or executed.

Evidence has emerged indicating that the Russians segregated Ukrainian civilian men and killed them in an organized manner, in particular, many of their bodies were found dead with their hands tied behind their backs. On April 2, an AFP reporter said he saw at least 20 bodies of civilians lying in the streets of Bucha, with two of the bodies having their hands tied, signifying an execution without extraordinary circumstances. Fedoruk reported that all of these persons were killed by shots to the back of the head.

The bodies of dead naked women were also found with signs that the Russians unsuccessfully tried to burn their bodies. The report published by The Kyiv Independent also included pictures and information about one man and two or three naked women under a blanket, whose bodies the Russian soldiers tried to burn on the side of the road before fleeing.

On March 4, Russian troops killed three unarmed Ukrainian civilians who were delivering food to a dog shelter. According to residents of Bucha, the Russian tanks and military vehicles drove through the streets as they entered the city, randomly firing at the windows of houses.

CNN, the BBC and Bild have released video footage of numerous bodies of civilians lying in the streets and courtyards of Bucha, some with their hands or feet bound. The atrocities in Bucha, including at least one execution without punishment, have also been documented by the independent group Human Rights Watch.

According to a local resident, the Russian soldiers robbed civilians and killed anyone with tattoos indicating their involvement in the war in the east of Ukraine. Russian troops also killed people with tattoos of Ukrainian symbols. According to his story, during the last week of the occupation, the Kadyrovite Chechen fighters were shooting at every civilian they encountered.

Reuters, referring to satellite images, reported that the first signs of trenching for a mass grave on the grounds of St. Andrew's Church were recorded on March 10. According to figures released on April 7, 90 percent of the civilian deaths in the town were caused by shootings by the Russians. As of April 12, 403 bodies of civilians killed by the Russian troops had been discovered in the town, said Bucha Mayor Anatolii Fedoruk.

At around 7:15 AM on March 5, a pair of cars carrying two families trying to escape were spotted by the Russian soldiers as the vehicles turned onto Chkalov Street. Russian forces opened fire on the convoy, killing a man in the second vehicle. The front car was hit and burned, instantly killing two children and their mother.

Residents speaking to Human Rights Watch after the retreat of the Russian troops described the treatment of people in the town during the brief occupation: Russians went door to door, questioning people, destroying their property, and looting their clothes to wear themselves. Civilians were shot at as they left their homes for food and water. The occupying Russian forces ordered them to return to their homes, despite the lack of basic necessities such as water and heat due to the destruction of local infrastructure. Snipers fired on civilians. Russian armed vehicles shelled structures in the city. The Russian military refused to provide medical assistance to wounded civilians. A mass grave was dug for local casualties, and the occupying troops carried out extrajudicial executions.