President Volodymyr Zelensky praised Ukraine on Sunday for fighting “the greatest force against humanity of our time”, a year after the first bodies were found in the streets of Bucha.
The peaceful suburb of Kiev was occupied by Russian troops for more than a month last year and its name has become synonymous with the alleged war crimes committed by Moscow during the invasion.
Russia has accused Ukraine and its allies of organizing these atrocities.
This anniversary comes a day after Russia assumed the rotating presidency of the United Nations Security Council, despite outcry from Kiev and Western countries imposing sanctions on Moscow.
“People of Ukraine! You have exerted the greatest force against humanity of our time,” Zelensky said in a social media post, accompanied by photos of areas liberated a year ago, when Russian troops withdrew from the Ukrainian capital. “You have held back a force that despises everything and wants to destroy everything that gives people meaning.”
“We will liberate all our land”he added.
Russia currently occupies 18% of Ukraine’s territory.
Also on the anniversary of the liberation of that Kiev region, Chief of the Armed Forces Valery Zaluzhny wrote: “We will continue to fight for the independence of our nation.”
On April 2, 2022, AFP journalists visited Bucha and found the bodies of 20 men in plain clothes, including one with his hands tied behind his back, in a heavily devastated city.
The scenes shocked the world as Kiev and its allies condemned the execution of civilians.
Prosecutors in Kiev say Russian forces killed about 1,400 civilians in areas around Bucha, including 637 in the city itself, and have identified dozens of Russian soldiers responsible for the executions.
Visiting Bucha shortly after the bodies were discovered, Zelensky appeared visibly emotional, claiming that Russia had committed “war crimes” that “will be recognized as genocide by the world”.
Since then, almost all foreign leaders who have visited Ukraine have also traveled to Bucha to pay their respects.
On Friday, Zelensky said he hoped Bucha would become a “symbol of justice.”
“We want all Russian murderers, executioners and terrorists to be held accountable for all crimes,” the Ukrainian president said.
After Russian troops withdrew from the Kiev region, they also withdrew from the northeast and south of the country. However, the frontline has remained virtually stable in recent months, with Russian forces claiming only marginal gains, mainly around the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut.
The Russian army, backed by the Wagner paramilitary group, has been working hard to encircle Bakhmut in hopes of claiming a battlefield victory after a series of humiliating reversals.
On the ground, the intensity of fighting has eased since the beginning of the year, despite heavy clashes around Bakhmut.
Andriy Yermak, director of Zelensky’s office, said on Sunday that Russian troops carried out “a massive bombardment” in the village of Kostyantynivka, near Bakhmut, killing six and wounding eight.
Source: DN
