'Deliberate Massacre' in Bucha Leaves Hundreds of Bodies - 'Whole Families Killed'

Created: 04/03/2022 15:26

By: Caroline Schäfer

Pictures and reports show the "unbridled violence" of Russian troops in Bucha, north-west of Kyiv.

The West announces further tough sanctions.

Kyiv – The Ukraine war* brings suffering, destruction and death.

The extent of the atrocities was most recently demonstrated in Bucha, a Ukrainian city about 25 kilometers north-west of the capital Kyiv*.

The dramatic reports caused international horror.

The Russian military has withdrawn from the Kyiv region in recent days.

According to Ukrainian data, the entire region was recaptured.

What remained, however, were streets strewn with corpses and complete destruction.

According to information from the Ukrainian authorities, almost 300 bodies were found that had to be buried in mass graves.

The three city cemeteries are still in the area of ​​the Russian armed forces.

Reporters from the Agence France-Presse (AFP) news agency reported that many of the dead wore civilian clothes.

They saw at least 20 bodies on a single street in Bucha.

A dead man is said to have had his hands tied.

The bridge on the highway destroyed by the bombing.

Nearly 300 civilians were killed along the road in Bucha, a commuter town outside the capital.

© Mykhaylo Palinchak/dpa

Ukraine: Devastating destruction in Bucha – Pictures show “unbridled violence”

"All these people were shot," Mayor Anatoly Fedoruk said.

"They killed her with a shot in the back of the head," Fedoruk added, pointing to Russian forces.

In addition, there are cars on the streets in which "entire families have been killed: children, women, grandmothers, men".

EU Council President Charles Michel was "shocked" by pictures from the commuter city on Sunday (April 3rd, 2022).

Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock* (Greens*) announced tougher sanctions against Russia* and further support for the Ukrainian military.

The pictures of the "unbridled violence" from Butscha were "intolerable," wrote the Green politician on the short message service Twitter.

Destroyed vehicles of the Russian occupying forces on a country road in Bucha.

© Mykhaylo Palinchak/dpa

Ukraine war: Foreign Minister calls for further sanctions against Russia

The Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba also called for further sanctions.

In view of the events in Bucha, he spoke of a "deliberate massacre".

"The Russians want to annihilate as many Ukrainians as possible," he wrote on Twitter.

The retreating Russian forces are creating a "catastrophic" situation for the civilian population, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy* has warned, according to the Arab news agency Al Jazeera.

According to the head of state, the Russian military had left landmines near houses.

But there doesn't seem to be a break from the more than five-week war between Russia and Ukraine*.

The Ukrainian government saw the withdrawal of Russian troops from the north of the country as evidence of a change in strategy.

Instead, Russia wants to reposition itself and strengthen its offensive, especially in southern and eastern Ukraine.

Nevertheless, for some Ukrainians this is reason enough to return to their home country*.

Ukraine update: Air raid reported in Odessa

In the southern Ukrainian port city of Odessa, there was an air raid on an industrial area on Sunday.

Sea and air-launched missiles destroyed an oil refinery and three warehouses, the Defense Ministry said.

According to Ukrainian information, however, there were no casualties.

"Odessa region is one of the priority targets of the enemy," Ukrainian officer Vladislav Nazarov is quoted as saying by AFP.

The metropolis has the largest port in Ukraine and is therefore central to the economy of the entire country.

A man distributes toilet paper rolls in Bucha as people wait for medicine and hygiene items to be distributed.

© Vadim Ghirda/dpa

The strategically important port city of Mariupol on the Azov Sea is also still besieged by Russian troops.

Selenskyj also warned against "powerful attacks".

Evacuation campaigns for the civilian population that is still stuck have failed several times so far.

Aid organizations describe the humanitarian situation as catastrophic.

The residents have been cut off from any supply for weeks, the AFP reported.

(kas/afp)