The discovery in Boutcha this weekend, after the withdrawal of Russian troops, of hundreds of corpses of Ukrainian civilians, marks a climax in horror of the war in Ukraine. The images of the bodies littering the streets of the city, in the media and on social networks, have revolted many Western heads of state who are calling for new sanctions to put an end to the massacres.
The discovery of horror
On March 26, Moscow announced that it wanted to concentrate its efforts on eastern Ukraine, and gradually abandoned its positions elsewhere in the country. Kyiv region is “liberated” Saturday, April 2, reports kyiv. But after the withdrawal of the Russian troops, the Ukrainian forces only discover ruins and massacres. In Boutcha in particular, 37 km northwest of the capital, scattered bodies litter the streets. Lots of bodies. Some with their hands tied behind their backs, others astride their overturned bicycles, broke in the middle of a race, still others with a shopping bag in their hands. They are civilians, their eyes open facing the gray sky, others their faces against the tar.
According to the testimonies of the inhabitants, all these men were killed by the Russian soldiers before their departure. “All these people were shot, killed with a bullet to the back of the head”says the mayor of Boutcha, Anatoli Fedorouk. Their decaying bodies indicate that they have been there for days, if not weeks. At first, the mayor indicates that more than 300 inhabitants were killed and summarily buried in a mass grave located near one of the town’s churches. But they are “much more” estimates Anatoli Kushnirchuk, chaplain and in charge of the burial of the bodies. “We can’t even count them anymore”, he laments. The next day, 57 new bodies were found in another mass grave.
A few hours later, a first macabre count is communicated by the Ukrainian prosecutor’s office responsible for investigating possible Russian war crimes: 410 bodies were found in the kyiv region as Russian troops depart. Ukraine’s Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova hints that there may be many more corpses not yet recovered.
Monday, the mayor of Boutcha now evokes “the death toll at 350, all civilians”. “290 bodies strewn the streets and mass graves” but the authorities have not yet been able to identify all the victims already buried, specifies Anatoliy Fedoruk. “In the neighborhoods where the Russian army was located, there were young men in the cellars, between 20 and 30 years old, whose bodies showed signs of torture” he says. Indeed, this Monday, the bodies of five men with hands tied are found in a cave. “The attitude of Russian troops in Ukraine is a manhunt“, denounces the elected. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky goes there.
► Warning, some images may shock.
Other abuses, rapes, looting and summary executions
The abuses committed by Russian troops were not limited to Boutcha. In a statement released on Sunday, the human rights organization Human Rights Watch denounced abuses against civilians comparable to “war crimes” by Russian soldiers in the Chernihiv, Kharkiv and kyiv regions.
HRW says it has documented several cases of “violations of the laws of war”citing that of a woman repeatedly raped and beaten by a Russian soldier, the summary executions of seven men, “other cases of violence” and “threats against civilians”as well as looting.
The first reactions, the shock
As early as Sunday morning, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kouleba denounced a “deliberate massacre”. According to him, “the Russians want to eliminate as many Ukrainians as they can”. Soon after, the Ukrainian President is not afraid of words and accuses the Russian army of having committed “genocide” in the towns it occupied.
Alternately, Washington, Paris, Berlin, Rome, Madrid or London denounce the “atrocities”even the _“war crimes”_. British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss was one of the first to react, “horrified by the atrocities in Boutcha and other towns”it immediately calls for a “investigation for war crimes”. Then the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, who accused the Russian army of having committed “atrocities” and says to himself “shocked by the haunting images”.
Berlin denounces “a terrible war crime” in Boutcha, and says he wants more sanctions against Russia. France also condemns the “massive abuses” committed by the Russian army and evokes “war crimes”. “The Russian authorities will have to answer for these crimes”says Emmanuel Macron, according to whom these images are “unsustainable”. the French president calls for new sanctions vis-à-vis Russia.
For the head of American diplomacy Antony Blinken, these images are “a punch in the stomach” and hopes that their leaders “be accountable”. NATO denounces acts “horrible” and “absolutely unacceptable”. “Shocked”UN chief Antonio Guterres calls for a “independent investigation”. Finally, on Monday, US President Joe Biden said he wanted a _“war crimes trial”_.
Moscow denies and denounces a staging
As of Sunday, the Russian Ministry of Defense denies having killed civilians in Boutcha. Moscow accuses the Ukrainian authorities of engaging in a “provocation” by broadcasting images of the bodies of civilians. According to the Kremlin, these images are a fabrication of Ukraine. “During the period when this locality was under the control of the Russian armed forces, not a single local resident suffered from violent actions”, the ministry said. He claimed that the images of corpses on the streets of the city were “a new kyiv regime production for Western media.” The Russian Foreign Ministry then claims that the images had been “ordered” by the United States as part of a plot to blame Russia.
Russia even goes so far as to ask the United Nations to convene its Security Council to discuss these accusations. “In light of the blatant provocation of Ukrainian radicals in Bucha, Russia has called for a meeting of the UN Security Council to be convened”, declared Dmitry Polanski, first deputy permanent Russian representative at UNO. The Kremlin says reject “categorically” all charges.
New penalties demanded
In the wake of these massacres, the EU indicated on Monday that it was discussing “emergency” new sanctions against Moscow, demanded in particular by France and Germany.
Berlin and Paris have both decided toexpel dozens of Russian diplomats of their country. The head of German diplomacy underlined that these employees of the Russian embassy constituted “a threat to those who seek protection with us”. According to the Quai d’Orsay, which specifies that “This action is part of a European approach”, the activities of the diplomats targeted by these measures are contrary to the security interests of France. In addition, the Russian ambassador to France will be summoned to the Foreign Ministry on Tuesday, franceinfo learned Monday evening from diplomatic sources.
The United States will try to obtain the “suspension” of Russia from the UN Human Rights Council, also announced the American ambassador to the United Nations. The White House has claimed that new western sanctions against Russia would be taken “this week”.
What about negotiations?
How will Boutcha impact the already difficult Russian-Ukrainian talks this week? Volodymyr Zelensky said on Monday that he was become more difficult for Ukraine to negotiate with Russia as it learns of the atrocities committed by Russian forces on its territory. “These are war crimes and they will be recognized around the world as genocide”said the Ukrainian president on national television during a trip to Boutcha. “It is very difficult to discuss when you see what they have done here”, added President Zelensky, dressed in a bulletproof vest and surrounded by soldiers. “We know of thousands of people killed and tortured, with limbs torn off, women raped and children murdered.”.
The day before, Volodymyr Zelensky had nevertheless reiterated that he was ready to dialogue with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Poutine. “After all that has been done, it is hard to imagine that we can still have negotiations with Russia. But that’s on a personal level as president, I have a duty to do ithe explained. There is no other way out than dialogue, if you don’t want hundreds of thousands and millions of deaths”. But he felt that a summit with President Putin could only come after a “ceasefire”. “I can’t have a meeting as long as they’re bombing”he hammered.