UN representatives document dozens of executions of civilians in Bucha

On April 9, 2022, during a mission to Bucha, Kyiv Region, UN human rights officers documented the unlawful killing, including by summary execution, of some 50 civilians.

The relevant statement was made by UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

“Almost every resident in Bucha our colleagues spoke to told us about the death of a relative, a neighbour or even a stranger. We know much more needs to be done to uncover what happened there and we also know Bucha is not an isolated incident,” Bachelet noted.

In general, the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine (HRMMU) received more than 300 allegations of killings of civilians in towns in Kyiv Region, Chernihiv Region, Kharkiv Region and Sumy Region, all under the control of Russian armed forces in late February and early March 2022.

Russian armed forces indiscriminately shelled and bombed populated areas, killing civilians and wrecking hospitals, schools and other civilian infrastructure. These are actions that may amount to war crimes.

According to Bachelet, allegations of sexual violence against women, men, girls and boys by members of the Russian armed forces in Ukraine have increasingly surfaced. In particular, HRMMU received 75 allegations from across the country, mostly from Kyiv Region.

A reminder that, as of April 21, 2022, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) recorded 2,345 civilians killed and 2,919 injured in Ukraine since the Russian invasion started.

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