Ukraine has announced that it has identified the commander of a Russian army unit as a suspect in some of the murders that were committed in the Ukrainian town of Bucha, near Kiev, during the Russian occupation. According to Ukraine, this is an important step towards uncovering the command structure behind the mass executions of civilians in the suburbs of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv. TASR informs about it according to a Reuters report.
- Ukraine has identified a suspected Russian army commander.
- He claims that he was responsible for mass executions of civilians during the attacks in Buča.
- Evidence includes witness statements and forensic analyzes of crime scenes.
- The suspect allegedly ordered the burning of bodies to cover up crimes.
More than 450 bodies were found in mass graves
Russian troops left people’s bodies lying on the streets of Buče when they withdrew from there in late March 2022 after a weeks-long occupation at the beginning of the invasion of Ukraine. Ukrainian authorities say they found more than 450 bodies in mass graves, while hundreds of people were killed in the wider Bucha area.
As part of the investigation, Ukrainian prosecutors have previously identified dozens of Russian soldiers as suspects in the case of the massacres in Buch. But now they have announced that for the first time they also suspect a specific commander of a unit of the Russian armed forces. These actions are a procedural step towards a possible arrest warrant.
Kim is responsible for 17 murders and four cases of ill-treatment
“Evidence shows that Yury Vladimirovich Kim is suspected of criminal responsibility for 17 murders and four cases of ill-treatment deliberately committed by forces under his command in Buch,” the Global Rights Compliance Foundation said in a statement, which also cited Ukrainian Deputy Prosecutor General Andriy Leshchenko.
Authorities identified Kim as a platoon commander in the 76th Airborne Division of the Russian Army. The Reuters agency recalled that it pointed to the role of this division and other Russian units in the events in Buch as part of its findings published in May 2022.
The foundation said Kim’s alleged responsibility was based on an investigation that included witness statements, forensic analysis of the crime scene and information from open sources, and that it had reviewed the case.
The bodies were to be burned to cover up the crimes
Kim, who is not currently in Ukrainian custody, has “specifically ordered his forces to hunt down, harm and kill individuals he believed to be supporters or facilitators of Ukrainian armed or security forces,” according to the statement. According to the foundation, the evidence also shows that after the civilians were killed, the commander ordered his subordinates to burn some of the bodies in order to cover up the crime.
The foundation also said that the knowledge gained in this case indicates a systematic plan that assumes the involvement of the Russian leadership and is the basis for further investigation that will be needed to confirm this fact.
Cuckiridze: We reveal the chain of command decisions
“We have moved beyond the prosecution of low-ranking perpetrators – we are now revealing a chain of command decisions through which routine orders turned into mass executions of civilians,” said First Deputy Chief of the Ukrainian Police and Head of the Investigative Department Maxym Tuckiridze.
According to Reuters, Moscow describes the massacres in Buča as a “fraud and false production”. The Russian Ministry of Defense did not respond to questions about the case. Reuters was unable to contact Kim directly.
