The Bucha massacre arouses horror throughout the West. The EU is preparing new sanctions, further support for Ukraine and promises that the Hague Tribunal will be used to judge war crimes committed by the Russians. Even the US speaks of war crimes, Prime Minister Mario Draghi condemns the "unbearable" violence committed against innocent civilians. “The Russian authorities will have to account for it,” he says. And the tone of unanimous reactions of firm condemnation for a massacre that recalls other tragedies that have occurred in recent history, such as Srebrenica or Sabra and Chatila, is growing.
The Bucha massacre and the retreat of the Russian army
Russian troops have left the three satellite cities of Irpin, Bucha and Hostomel at the gates of Kiev. The Ukrainian capital region has been completely liberated from occupation by Russian troops, Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar said on her Facebook page. According to Maliar, the Russian forces were driven back from the three occupied cities, as well as from the rest of the region.
However, a "deliberate massacre" of civilians was discovered in Bucha. After the hasty retreat of Russian forces, the Ukrainian authorities denounce, the occupation troops have failed to hide the bodies of the victims.
Mass graves, men executed in the streets, some with their hands tied, children used as human shields, a mass grave with 57 bodies, some of which are clearly visible. The streets of Bucha are littered with civilian corpses. “The Russians aim to eliminate as many Ukrainians as possible. We have to stop them and hunt them down. I call now for new devastating G7 sanctions,” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba tweeted, after denouncing the massacre.
The unanimous condemnation of the massacre and Draghi's words
The images go around the world and "are a punch in the stomach" comments the US secretary of state Antony blinken to Cnn. “The EU collaborates with Ukraine to document war crimes. All cases will have to be judged by the International Court in The Hague” affirms the EU high representative Joseph Borrell. Ursula von der Leyen he wants clarity, for Germany Chancellor Olaf Scholz takes the field and proposes an investigation by the Red Cross and independent NGOs to document the atrocities committed by Russian soldiers: "The executioners and their mandates must be brought to justice".
“The images of the crimes committed in Bucha and in other areas liberated by the Ukrainian army are astounding. The cruelty of the massacres of defenseless civilians is appalling and unbearable. The Russian authorities must immediately cease hostilities, stop the violence against civilians, and will be held accountable for what happened. Italy condemns these horrors with absolute firmness, and expresses full closeness and solidarity with Ukraine and its citizens", says the Prime Minister Mario Draghi. The secretary of the Pd Enrico Letta pushes to extend the sanctions to the import of Russian oil and gas.
The Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of being responsible for a "genocide" in Ukraine to eliminate "the whole nation", after the discovery of mass graves in Bucha. “Yes, this is genocide. The elimination of the entire nation and the Ukrainian people”.
The world is crying but for Russia those are artfully fabricated photos from Kiev and the Western media. Moscow rejects the allegations and denies killing civilians in Bucha. Those images - photos and videos - according to the Russian Defense Ministry "are a provocation".
The White House: "The war is not over"
The White House chief of staff, Ron Klain, during an interview with Abc News, is pessimistic: "I think the Ukrainians are winning the war around Kiev and in the north of the country - he declared - But we must be very clear . I think there is a lot of evidence that Putin is simply taking his troops out of the northern part of the country to redeploy them in the eastern part and relaunch the battle. So I think there have been victories for the Ukrainians so far, but this war, sadly, is far from over."
