During occupation, Russians killed over 1,700 people in Bucha district, including 43 children

Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal announced this during the Bucha-2025 summit, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

The head of government reminded that the liberation of Bucha three years ago was one of the turning points of the Russian-Ukrainian war, as Ukrainian troops pushed the enemy out of the Kyiv region and thwarted its plans to seize the capital.

“In Bucha and other communities of the region, we [after the de-occupation] managed to uncover terrible crimes, but in the first days we were faced with a terrible picture. Here, the Russians committed an act of genocide unprecedented in the twenty-first century Europe. Cars with people were shot up, bodies of civilians on the streets of towns and villages, children and women were killed, and civilians were abducted on a massive scale. In Bucha district alone, the enemy killed more than 1,700 people during the short occupation. The number of victims throughout Kyiv region is many times higher,” said Shmyhal.

The Prime Minister emphasized that the crimes of the Russians have been documented, and Ukraine’s position remains unchanged: criminal liability of these criminals, as well as Russia’s financial responsibility for military aggression, that is, the confiscation of Russian assets frozen in the West. The Prime Minister noted that Russian assets should be used to rebuild housing and infrastructure destroyed by the aggression. He reminded that according to the latest World Bank estimate, this would require USD 524 billion.

“The wounds of Bucha will never fully heal. Just like the wounds of Mariupol, Izium, Olenivka, Kramatorsk, many other places, places of our pain on the map of Ukraine, on the map of Europe. We remember the victims of Russian terror. We honor the heroes of liberation. We are doing everything we can to make the enemy answer and pay for the atrocities they have committed. This is one of the key conditions for achieving a just and sustainable peace,” Shmyhal emphasized.

The Prime Minister added that Ukraine counts on the support of partner states, international organizations, and all people of goodwill.

During the Bucha 2025 summit, Acting Prosecutor General Oleksii Khomenko said that during the 30 days of occupation, the Russian military killed 1,800 civilians, including 43 children.

“In just 30 days of occupation, more than 9,000 war crimes were committed in the Bucha district, 1,800 civilians were killed, including 43 children, and 3,800 buildings were destroyed. As a result of the investigation of these criminal proceedings, more than 170 people were notified of suspicion and 21 war criminals were convicted,” Khomenko said.

According to him, then the whole civilized world saw what a dictatorship is ready to do to destroy democracy. The acting Prosecutor General emphasized that “the Bucha massacre was not accidental” – it was a planned action that was not only tolerated but encouraged by the highest leadership of the Russian Federation.

He emphasized that Ukraine is working tirelessly to bring the perpetrators to justice.

“We are working together with our partners to ensure accountability at the international level. In particular, more than 25 countries are conducting their own war crimes investigations. There are first suspicions and even a verdict. We continue to cooperate with the ICC, which has issued arrest warrants for 6 representatives of the senior military and political leadership of the Russian Federation. The joint investigation team based at Eurojust continues to work together,” he said.

Khomenko thanked the Verkhovna Rada for adopting legislation in the first days of the war in semi-sieged Kyiv that enabled law enforcement to investigate war crimes effectively and legally.

“I would also like to thank our partners for their invaluable assistance, providing us not only with military and economic support, but also with legal support. We continue to rely on you and expect support for certain initiatives, in particular, to preserve the memory of the crimes of the Russian Federation, to condemn the crime of genocide, crimes against humanity and all war crimes,” the head of the OGP said.

According to him, an important element of justice is compensation for the victims of the war.

“And the Russian Federation must be punished for the act of aggression, as it is the most serious international war crime that led to tens of thousands of other war crimes. Real justice is possible only through the establishment of the Special Tribunal,” he emphasized, adding that Ukrainian prosecutors and investigators continue to record the criminal activities of the Russian regime.

As reported, three years ago, on March 31, 2022, the Defense Forces de-occupied Bucha in the Kyiv region.

Archived photo