Zelenskyy paid tribute to the victims of Bucha on the fourth anniversary of the city’s liberation
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, together with the First Lady, paid tribute to the Ukrainians who lost their lives during the occupation of Bucha by Russian invaders in 2022.
The head of state announced this on Telegram.
“When the whole world learned about Bucha. About Ukrainians brutally murdered on the streets of Bucha by Russian occupiers. About our people tortured in basements. About those shot on the roads. About adults and children whose bodies were found in graves in Bucha. Everyone saw the horror brought by Russia and its aggression. They saw what Ukraine is actually defending itself against,” the president noted.
He added: “Today, on the fourth anniversary of Bucha’s liberation from Russian occupiers, we honored the memory of the Ukrainians who were killed and tortured there. We remember and will not forget what the enemy did. Every Russian murderer, executioner, and terrorist must answer for every crime against our people. May the memory of everyone whose life was taken by Russia live on—all those who died in Bucha and across Ukraine at the hands of Russian occupiers.”
During the liberation of the city, Ukrainian forces carried out a successful operation that allowed them to establish full control over Bucha, begin the evacuation of civilians, and ensure the delivery of humanitarian aid.
Following the liberation, numerous accounts of war crimes and widespread destruction of infrastructure were documented, including residential buildings, hospitals, and utility networks.
The liberation of Bucha became a symbol of Ukraine’s resistance and a significant strategic success on the Kyiv front, demonstrating the effectiveness of the Ukrainian Defense Forces in liberating occupied territories.
The European Union insists on the need to hold Russia accountable for the crimes committed in Bucha at the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The foreign ministers of the European Union have expressed their support for the establishment of a special tribunal to investigate Russia’s war crimes in Ukraine.
