Bucha Massacre Is A War Crime, German Chancellor Claims

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is the latest international politician to describe the Bucha massacre as a war crime. 

Tragic images emerged earlier this month of scenes in Bucha, a suburb of Kyiv, showing bodies of dead civilians lying on the streets.

Speaking of the atrocity on Saturday (March 9), Scholz accused Russia of war crimes and said that those responsible must be held accountable, via Reuters.

“This is something we cannot forget,” he said, referring to the deaths of civilians in Bucha, adding, “We cannot overlook that this is a crime. These are war crimes we will not accept… those who did this must be held accountable.”

Since Russian troops recently withdrew from Bucha, images emerged showing the death and destruction caused in the Kyiv suburb as part of Vladimir Putin’s ongoing attack against Ukraine.

Russia's Ministry of Defence denied responsibility for the crimes, sharing a Telegram post which suggested the bodies had been placed on the streets after 'all Russian units withdrew completely from Bucha' around 30 March.

However, The New York Times shared reviews of video and satellite imagery which indicated many of the civilians in the town were killed when Russia’s military was in control.

Multiple bodies could be seen scattered along Yablonska Street in a video filmed by a local council member on 2 April, but satellite images provided by Maxar Technologies prove at least 11 of the victims had been left on the street since 11 March, when Russian troops occupied the town.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited the town after his country regained control and described the situation as 'genocide', while US president Joe Biden accused Putin of being a war criminal after the images emerged. 

Yesterday, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson held a joint press conference with Scholz at Downing Street where they addressed the recent attack on Kramatorsk train station.

The mayor of Kramatorsk said that more than 4,000 people were at the station in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine waiting to board trains when it was hit by missiles, killing at least 52 and wounding dozens.

Speaking at the press conference, Johnson said, “The attack at the train station in eastern Ukraine shows the depth to which Putin’s once vaunted army has sunk… It is a war crime indiscriminately to attack civilians and Russian crimes in Ukraine will not go unnoticed or unpunished.”

If you would like to donate to the Red Cross Emergency Appeal, which will help provide food, medicines and basic medical supplies, shelter and water to those in Ukraine, click here for more information