Ukraine’s National Police has identified all 12 Russian paratroopers responsible for killing 16 civilians at a key intersection in Bucha during the Russian occupation in March 2022.
As of 31 March 2024, Ukrainian police reported that following Bucha’s liberation from Russian forces, 422 murdered civilians were found in the city, with a total of 1,190 bodies discovered in the Bucha district. These numbers are not final, as 514 residents of Kyiv Oblast remain missing, and 180 bodies are still unidentified.
Bodies discovered after the liberation showed evidence of torture. Many were found in mass graves or lying in streets with their hands bound and shot at close range.
The identified victims, aged 14 to 69, were shot at the intersection of Vokzalna and Yablunska streets in Bucha between 5-9 March 2022, while attempting to evacuate, reach family members, or search for food, the National Police reports.
Among those killed were several civilians whose images later gained international attention, including a woman with red nail polish and a female volunteer who burned alive in a minibus, becoming a symbol of Russian atrocities.
The commander of the unit, Artyom Tareyev, from the 234th Airborne Assault Regiment based in Pskov has been issued a notice of suspicion for ordering troops to “open fire on anyone who came into their field of view” at the intersection.
The commander personally supervised the operation, directing the establishment of firing positions and organizing troop rotations at the location. If convicted, the commander faces possible life imprisonment.
The National Police indicates it is working with the International Criminal Court, providing evidence that could be used in future proceedings against Russia’s military and political leadership.
Related:
- Ukrainian police: Many still missing, Bucha civilian death toll not final two years on
- Bucha massacre: Ukraine presses murder charges against two Russian soldiers
- Ukrainian investigators uncover widespread human rights violations by Russian troops in Kyiv Oblast
- Danish PM visits Kyiv, honors victims of Bucha massacre
- Exhibition dedicated to Russian war crimes in Ukraine opens in New York on Bucha liberation anniversary
