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Ukraine Charges Russian Commander Who Ordered Killing 17 Civilians in Bucha

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Photo of Dariia Mykhailenko
Dariia Mykhailenko
News Writer
A Russian serviceman is suspected of establishing a system of violence targeting civilians in Bucha. (Source: Office of the Prosecutor General)
A Russian serviceman is suspected of establishing a system of violence targeting civilians in Bucha. (Source: Office of the Prosecutor General)

The Office of the Prosecutor General announced a notice of suspicion to a Russian army platoon commander implicated in the murders of at least 17 civilians in Bucha.

The commander is charged with issuing orders for the murders, direct participation in the crimes, and the unlawful actions of his subordinates. He is one of six suspected Russian servicemen who committed atrocities in Bucha, believing they would never be found, the Prosecutor General’s Office on October 31.

The investigation determined that on March 7, 2022, during the occupation of the Kyiv region, servicemen from the 234th Airborne Assault Brigade of the 76th Airborne Division of the Russian Armed Forces, under the command of a lieutenant, took control of the “Lisova Bucha” district. While conducting so-called “filtering,” they carried out searches, torture, and murders of pro-Ukrainian civilians who they believed might be assisting Ukraine's defense forces. Throughout March 2022, the officer's subordinates killed at least 17 civilians. To conceal their crimes, they set fire to the bodies of some of the deceased.

The platoon commander actively subverted the rules of engagement, flouting the laws and customs of war while simultaneously inciting his subordinates to carry out atrocities by promising them they would face no punishment. Furthermore, he set up an internal reporting structure that ensured he was aware of all their actions in the occupied zone, confirming his direct capability to either halt the crimes or impose discipline for them.

His actions and orders created a system in which violence against civilians became the unit's normal conduct, as the commander fully controlled his subordinates. Furthermore, it was established that the commander himself directly participated in the cruel treatment of three civilians and threatened to kill them.

Acting under the direction of the Prosecutor General's Office, investigators performed a wide array of actions to build the case. This involved questioning over 330 victims and witnesses, carrying out 59 investigative experiments, conducting 86 photo identifications, and performing 89 inspections of crime scenes. Additionally, investigators carried out 3 exhumations of the bodies of those murdered. The evidence gathered from these actions allowed for a precise reconstruction of the events surrounding the 17 civilian murders.

As a direct consequence of these investigative efforts, comprehensive evidence detailing the crimes was successfully amassed, the direct perpetrators were positively identified, and a singular, exhaustive legal assessment was applied to the platoon commander’s conduct.

The commander is currently facing accountability under three distinct forms of war crime: the issuance of a criminal order, the direct commission of a crime in concert with other servicemen, and command responsibility. The pre-trial investigation phase in this proceeding remains ongoing.

Earlier, Ukraine’s Main Directorate of Intelligence intercepted radio communications in which Russian commander near Pokrovsk gave a direct command for his soldiers to open fire on any civilians trying to evacuate the war zone.

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