(Kyiv) Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kouleba called on scientists to study the effects of Russian propaganda which he said prepared the ground for the atrocities in Boutcha, a town near Kyiv which has been under Russian occupation.
Posted at 8:04 a.m.
“Boucha was not made in a day. For many years, Russian political elites and propaganda have incited hatred, dehumanized Ukrainians, fueled Russian superiority and set the stage for these atrocities,” Kouleba wrote on Twitter.
“I encourage researchers around the world to examine what led to Boutcha,” he continued.
PHOTO EVELYN HOCKSTEIN, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba
Ukraine and Western countries accuse Russian troops of ‘massacre’ and ‘war crimes’ after dozens of bodies were found on the streets of Boutcha, a small town northwest of Kyiv that was recaptured on March 31 by Ukrainian troops.
AFP journalists who were able to go there on April 2 saw the bodies of 20 men dressed in civilian clothes scattered over several hundred meters in a city street. One was lying on his bike, others had shopping bags next to them. Another, lying on his side, had his hands tied behind his back. At least two of these corpses had large head wounds.
PHOTO ZOHRA BENSEMRA, REUTERS
Boutcha has become the symbol of the atrocities of war, but the discoveries are not limited to this city.
The Boutcha massacre drew horrified condemnation from around the world and prompted Kyiv’s allies to take new sanctions against Russia.