DISINFO: The events in Bucha are just a cynical provocation by Kyiv
SUMMARY
In the Bucha case, the West has invented a "false scenario" to justify the new package of sanctions against Russia, including the mass expulsion of Russian diplomats and the stalling of Russian-Ukrainian negotiations.
The Western press, especially the US press, is "complicit" in this provocation by blocking the emergence of an "alternative view", the truth, on the Bucha tragedy, in addition to spreading fake news. The events in Bucha are nothing but a "cynical provocation" by the Kyiv regime. There is sufficient evidence to prove Russia's innocence and to close the case, as no civilians were harmed while the city was under Russian control.
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.
The material and links may contain distressing/ graphic content.
In reality, there is plenty of evidence of 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 were registered in Bucha. 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.
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 with bodies that has emerged after Russian troops withdrew was "staged". 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.
Russia's claims have since been fact-checked and debunked by the BBC, Bellingcat, The Atlantic Council, Mediazona, the Insider, Sky News, the New York Times and others.
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 (ICC).
See the EU's response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine here along with EU vs Disinfo's Guide to Deciphering Pro-Kremlin disinformation around Putin's War.