DISINFO: One of the "killed" in Bucha raises his hand, and the other suddenly changes position
SUMMARY
What's wrong with the footage from Bucha? Video from this Ukrainian city is now actively dispersed in Ukrainian and Western media. And, social media. The goal is to discredit the Russian military. The first effect is a shock, but upon closer inspection, inconsistencies are noticeable. One of the "killed" raises his hand, and the other suddenly "changes position", as soon as the car passes by.
RESPONSE
This is a disinformation narrative from pro-Kremlin media denying the involvement of Russian troops in a massacre in the town of Bucha near Kyiv.
Russia's claims that video footage showing dead bodies on the streets of Bucha is staged have been fact-checked and debunked by the Bellingcat, The Atlantic Council, Mediazona, the Insider and others.
There is plenty of evidence about Russian involvement in the massacre in which dozens of civilians were found in a mass grave. It is not a final estimate because investigations are still underway.
Killings, rape and other crimes against civilians have been collected by the Human Rights Watch. Even though a detailed report of what happened in Bucha is not yet available, videos shot on the ground show dozens of corpses left on the sides of the streets. According to Bucha’s mayor Anatoly Fedoruk at least 280 people have been buried in mass graves by the Russian army.
As for the statement about the corpse moving the arm, the video showed that there was a scratch or glare on the glass of the car from which the filming was made. Due to poor quality it seems that the corpse moves the arm, in fact the scratch is superimposed on the dark background of the victim. Read more here.
Satellite images of Bucha appear to show bodies lying in the street nearly two weeks before the Russians left the town.An image from 19 March, first reported by the New York Times and confirmed by the BBC, directly contradicts the Kremlin’s claim that the footage of bodies that has emerged in recent days was "staged" after the Russians withdrew. The image shows objects that appear to be bodies in the exact locations where they were subsequently found by Ukrainian forces when they regained control of the town north of Kyiv.
The original footage we analyzed unequivocally shows that the victims in Bucha are real, and indicate that Russian troops are responsible for killing innocent civilians. It was not a “provocation” by Ukraine or orchestrated by the West.
See also here.
The President of Ukraine, who visited the liberated town of Bucha, said:
"These are war crimes and they will be recognized by the world as genocide. We are aware of thousands of people killed and tortured, with their limbs cut off. Raped women, murdered children. I believe this is genocide"
The European Union has condemned in the strongest possible terms the reported atrocities committed by the Russian armed forces. The EU called for accountability for human rights and international law violations by the Russian Armed Forces, including full support for the investigation launched by the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court.
Read more about the EU's response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
See a related disinformation claim, alleging that videos from Ukrainian town Bucha are context-and-evidence-free and the West is spreading fakes about Russian atrocities in Bucha.