Russians shot Ukrainian civilians

Date of the event

27.02 – 01.04.2022

Venue

the city of Bucha

Russian troops entered Bucza on February 27, but there were constant fights with Ukrainian defenders in the region. Finally, on April 1, Russian troops withdrew from the city. According to witnesses, the massacre in the city continued throughout the occupation. On March 4, Russian armored vehicles opened chaotic fire. That day died three volunteers who were taking care of animals in a dog shelter. The next day, Russian soldiers also fired on two civilian cars belonging to the inhabitants of the evacuated city. Four people, including two children, were killed in the incident. On April 10, the first satellite photos appeared, which show that in the city, near the church of St. Andrzej, a mass grave was being prepared. After the city was liberated by Ukrainian troops in April, the losses were summed up. The bodies of deceased civilians were found in the streets, houses, cellars and mass graves. Many had their hands tied and the women were naked with signs of sexual abuse. There were also children among raped women and girls. The Russians shot civilians who were carrying out normal activities necessary for life. The victims were found on bicycles with nets containing food or water. The bodies of the dead, with the exception of the gunshot wounds, were intact, indicating that they had not died from the explosives. Witnesses who survived the massacre said that Russian soldiers went door-to-door, beating and intimidating people. The attackers searched homes for valuable things that were later sent from Belarus to their families in the Russian Federation. Currently, Ukrainian officials say they have found 500 bodies of their citizens

Legal qualification

in accordance with Art. 8 sec. 2(b)(i) of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, adopted on 17 July 1998 at Rome; With regard to war crimes, the above incident is a war crime that can be classified as other serious violations of the laws and customs of international law applicable to armed conflicts of an international character, namely: (i) Intentionally directing attacks against the civilian population as such or against individual civilians not taking direct part in hostilities;