The police have identified 98% of the victims in Bucha and have identified 2,500 invaders
Today, March 31, 2026, Ukraine marks the fourth anniversary of the liberation of Bucha from Russian invaders.
The National Police has concluded a large-scale investigation into war crimes that became a symbol of the occupiers’ brutality and shocked the international community in 2022.
After four years of painstaking work, investigators have managed to identify 98.3% of the city’s deceased residents.
The bodies of those killed have been handed over to their families for proper burial, but the search continues—a special unit of the National Police is still investigating the circumstances surrounding the disappearance of over 50 Bucha residents who were forcibly taken out of Ukraine.
To date, 124 of the most serious crimes have been solved, including 84 intentional homicides and 40 cases of torture and cruel treatment.
Law enforcement officials have identified over 2,500 Russian servicemen who were in the city, including the core group of perpetrators from the Russian Federation’s 234th Airborne Assault Regiment.
Bucha became the first city where Ukrainian investigators applied the principle of command responsibility in accordance with the Geneva Conventions.
This means that charges are being brought not only against the direct perpetrators of the shootings, but also against commanders who issued criminal orders or failed to stop their subordinates.
“Irrefutable evidence has been gathered, resulting in the issuance of notices of suspicion to 59 Russian servicemen, including 10 commanders,” the police noted.
To date, indictments against 46 suspects have already been sent to court, and work on the cases against the senior leadership of the Russian army has entered its final stage.
The investigation has reconstructed in detail the tragedy at the intersection of Vokzalna and Yablunska Streets, where, from March 5 to 9, 2022, the occupiers killed 16 civilians.
All 12 Russian military personnel involved in these shootings have been identified, including the unit commander who ordered the opening of fire on people trying to find food or evacuate.
No less horrific is the case of mass killings in the area of Ivan Franko and Naberezhna Streets. The occupiers burst into courtyards, stripped people, and checked their phones, after which they executed them.
To cover up the traces of their atrocities, the Russians burned the bodies of the victims—charred remains were discovered by forensic experts immediately after de-occupation.
A double terrorist attack occurred this morning in Bucha near a residential building; police officers were injured.
The EU Council adopted a decision to impose sanctions against nine individuals involved in crimes against the civilian population in Bucha during the Russian occupation in 2022.
