Seven Russian servicemen involved in committing war crimes during the occupation of Bucha in Kyiv Region have been identified and served with a notice of suspicion. This was reported by the Prosecutor General's Office.
They are charged with violations of the laws and customs of war, including those combined with the intentional killing of civilians (Part 1 and Part 2 of Article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).
The suspects are servicemen of the Russian Armed Forces who fought in various units of the 234th Air Assault Regiment of the 76th Air Assault Division of the Airborne Forces. Three of them were commanders, and four others held rank and file positions. The soldiers were between the ages of 19 and 29.
The investigation established that the suspects shot four civilians in March 2022. The commander of the 2nd self-propelled artillery battery of the 2nd battalion tactical group, the battery's sergeant major and the senior sapper found pro-Ukrainian information on a local resident's mobile phone. The suspects beat the man with their hands and feet, as well as with the butt of a weapon, and then the commander ordered him to be killed. The sapper tied the victim's hands and shot him.
Another suspect, the platoon commander of the 3rd Parachute Company of the 1st Battalion Tactical Group, shot the local resident after checking his phone, firing at least seven shots.
The investigation also identified those involved in the shooting of two people in Bucha at the Russian checkpoints. A private of the 3rd parachute brigade of the 1st battalion tactical group with other soldiers stopped a civilian car and then fired a shot through the driver's door window. He pulled the civilian out of the car and laid him on the road. Subsequently, the private and the deputy commander of the combat vehicle shot the man, firing several shots simultaneously.
At another checkpoint, the Russian military killed a house owner who was leaving his yard. The gunner of the 4th air assault brigade of the 2nd battalion tactical group fired two shots at him from an automatic small arms. The investigation has already established the involvement of this soldier in the murder of another civilian.
The bodies were found after the town was liberated. All the killed locals were civilians and did not take part in the armed conflict. The case against the 6 suspects has now been brought to court.
Ukrainian investigators and prosecutors continue to investigate crimes committed during the occupation of the city. Work is underway to identify all those involved in the massacres of civilians.
Within the framework of the criminal proceedings, prosecutors, together with investigators and operatives of the National Police of Ukraine, carried out a significant amount of investigative and search activities: 2,000 interviews with victims and witnesses, 500 forensic examinations (forensic, molecular, ballistic, explosive, chemical and other), 400 different examinations, 120 investigative experiments and 130 identifications.
In order to identify Russian war criminals, telephone connections from more than 12,500 base stations of mobile operators are analysed on an ongoing basis.
Bucha was under Russian occupation for 33 days. During this time, more than 1,200 war crimes were established.