A Russian commander is to stand trial for the killing of civilians in Bucha
This was announced by Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko.
The case of one of the key commanders of the Russian occupiers who took part in the capture of Bucha and crimes against the civilian population has been referred to court.
The individual in question is Lieutenant Yuri Kim – a platoon commander in the 234th Guards Airborne Assault Regiment of the 76th Airborne Division of the Russian Armed Forces.
According to Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko, Bucha came as a shock to the world, revealing the true nature of the Russian army.
In the town, 358 victims of Russian executioners have been identified. They are women, men and children. Almost all of them are civilians. Most of the people were shot or died from mine-blast injuries.
What Yuriy Kim is accused of
According to the investigation, in March 2022, Yuriy Kim and servicemen from his unit committed at least 20 crimes against civilians and 17 murders of civilians.
The investigation established that Kim personally coordinated the actions of his subordinates, gave orders and monitored their execution.
The prosecution has established his command responsibility. This means that he will be held accountable both for his own actions and for the criminal orders and atrocities committed by his subordinates.
How the occupiers operated in Bucha
The investigation established how the unit entered the town, took up positions, divided up control zones and committed crimes.
Russian soldiers went from house to house, ‘screening’ people for pro-Ukrainian views, detaining and interrogating civilians.
People were tortured, subjected to mock executions and killed. Basements, courtyards and streets became execution sites.
According to the investigation, the occupiers killed entire families and showed no mercy to the elderly.
After their retreat, Russian soldiers attempted to conceal the evidence. They removed the bodies of six people from two neighbouring families and burned them on a children’s playground.
What evidence has the investigation gathered?
According to Ruslan Kravchenko, the evidence in the case is comprehensive.
Investigators carried out 59 forensic experiments, took statements from 330 eyewitnesses, conducted 86 photo identifications and carried out three exhumations.
They also examined abandoned Russian military documents, shell casings of the same type found at various crime scenes, and other evidence.
Kravchenko noted that immediately after the de-occupation of Bucha in April 2022, when he was a prosecutor at the Bucha District Prosecutor’s Office, he personally initiated the first proceedings regarding war crimes committed by the Russian Federation’s armed forces.
According to him, at that time law enforcement officers were gathering individual facts and pieces of evidence, whereas now there is a comprehensive body of evidence.
Investigations are ongoing
The investigation into the crimes in Bucha is ongoing.
A specific task of the investigation is to identify every Russian serviceman involved, in particular those responsible for the deaths of 116 people buried in a mass grave near the Church of St Andrew the First-Called.
So far, 59 perpetrators have been identified. Thirty-two indictments have been sent to court.
A special task force is also operating, and over 3,000 investigative actions have been carried out as part
of the investigation. “Every war crime has a name. Neither the perpetrators nor those who gave the orders will escape accountability,” emphasised Kravchenko.
As reported by ThePublic, during his visit to Ukraine, Britain’s Prince Harry visited Bucha and paid tribute to the victims of the Russian occupation of the Kyiv region in 2022.
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