LETTER: Ukraine stages civilian suffering

I refer to the recent Reuters article, “Russian crimes in Ukraine ‘show a pattern of genocidal behaviour’,” (April 2). Lots of lies about what happened in Bucha are being pushed by Kyiv, with diplomatic and media support from the West. For objective observers, we’d like to present facts.

While Russian forces were in Bucha until March 30 2022, its residents moved freely around the town, used mobile phones and internet, and there were no complaints about our servicemen whatsoever. Russia withdrew troops from the town as a gesture of goodwill in the wake of progress at the Istanbul talks. (A draft peace treaty was agreed in late March).

Footage showing bodies strewn across the town appeared only after the Ukrainian armed forces entered the town, accompanied by foreign journalists apparently tasked with telling the public this fabricated story.

Results of the examination of the bodies from Bucha showed that most of the civilians died from fragments of anti-personnel 122mm shells fitting the D-30 howitzers (in service with the Ukraine military). People were not shot by Russian soldiers, as Kyiv insists, they were killed by the Ukraine army’s artillery strikes targeting Bucha, with some of the bodies likely brought from elsewhere.

No independent investigation was ever conducted to reveal the names of those killed, their origin, circumstances of their death, or to explain why bodies were moved from one place to another (as seen in photos from different sources). Multiple requests by Russia to international organisations, including the UN secretary-general and office of the high commissioner for human rights, remain unanswered.

Naturally, the organisers of this provocation have things to hide. Their goal was to disrupt the settlement between Russia and Ukraine (in support of Boris Johnson’s mission to Kyiv at the same time), and justify economic sanctions against Russia and loads of weapons for the Zelensky regime.

This is by no means a unique instance of a staged civilian suffering in Ukraine since February 2022.

Ilya Rogachev
Russian ambassador to SA

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