DISINFO: The Bucha massacre is a lie
SUMMARY
The Bucha massacre was a lie. Despite the requests of the Russian side, no one has provided any reports on what happened in Bucha. Even the names of those killed in Bucha are unknown. It is unknown who and when killed them, nor what their political views were. Bucha is a common phrase. No-one knows the truth about what happened. But Russia does know the truth. Ukrainian nationalists killed those who supported Russia. A forensic study in England showed that the people whose dead bodies had been laid out in Bucha had been killed as a result of the explosion of shells used by the Ukrainian artillery, not from bullets.
RESPONSE
This case may contain distressful/graphic content.
Recurring disinformation narrative from pro-Kremlin outlets denying Russian war crimes during the invasion of Ukraine. This claim was made as a comment on a statement by German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius who said: “And when I hear the representatives of BSW (political party) or others who say they (Ukraine) should just make a few compromises and cede a few square kilometres of land, excuse me? And what do I say to the relatives of Bucha's wives? What do I say to the parents of the many abducted children?”
Atrocities committed by Russian troops in Bucha and other small towns around Kyiv in the first weeks of Russia's invasion of Ukraine have been documented by the BBC, Bellingcat, The Atlantic Council, Mediazona, the Insider, Sky News, the New York Times and others. Accounts of violence against civilians in Bucha have been collected by the Human Rights Watch. Evidence of Russia’s involvement in these crimes includes photos and videos by Bucha survivors, CCTV footage, satellite footage, and details of calls to Russia made by perpetrators from the phones of murdered victims. Similar crimes have been registered in other still occupied and already liberated Ukrainian territories (Mariupol and Kharkiv Region, respectively).
In December 2022, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights presented a report about killings, summary executions and attacks on civilians the north of Ukraine, which contained a detailed description of human rights violations in the initial months of Russia’s unprovoked and unjustified invasion of Ukraine.
The European Union has condemned in the strongest possible terms these atrocities committed by the Russian armed forces and called for accountability for human rights and international law violations by the Russian Armed Forces.
Read similar disinformation cases claiming that Bucha was a false flag operation, that A French journalist witnessed the staging of Bucha massacre to incriminate Russia, and that Bucha massacre was staged and responsibility for attack on children's hospital in Okhmatdyt is not clear.