The Kremlin is once again trying to discredit international investigations and is denying the responsibility of Russian troops for war crimes in Bucha.
This is reported by the Centre for Countering Disinformation.
According to the Centre, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova, speaking at a press conference, accused the UN Secretariat and the organisation’s Secretary-General of allegedly facilitating an “anti-Russian campaign” by failing to provide lists of those killed in Bucha.
Zakharova also repeated Russia’s claim that the mass killings of civilians in Bucha were allegedly a “provocation” organised with the involvement of the United Kingdom. In addition, she said that among the dead there were allegedly not only civilians.
The Centre described these statements as manipulative and part of attempts to shift attention away from evidence of civilian deaths during the occupation of Bucha.
The Centre notes that the facts regarding the events in Bucha are confirmed by photo and video materials, testimony from local residents, the results of forensic examinations, and materials from international organisations.
In the Centre’s assessment, the denial of war crimes in Bucha, Irpin, Izium and other de-occupied settlements is part of Russia’s systematic information policy.
The Centre believes that in this way the Russian side is trying to cast doubt on the evidence base and avoid responsibility for war crimes.
At the same time, statements by Russian officials about the events in Bucha do not change the need to establish all the circumstances and those responsible within the framework of national and international investigations.
- The EU Council has imposed sanctions on nine individuals responsible for crimes against the civilian population in Bucha during the Russian occupation in 2022.
- Read about how people survived under the occupation of Bucha in the article “A Russian tank stopped right by the window and pointed its barrel at us” — the story of a woman who survived in Bucha.