Today we mark the third anniversary since the liberation of Bucha. The Bucha massacre remains a defining symbol of Russian brutality. The haunting images and testimonies from the Russian occupation in March 2022, expose the brutal war of aggression against Ukraine. Bucha stands as stark evidence of Russian war crimes. Russian authorities have been trying to cover-up their war crimes, dismissing the evidence, calling Bucha a hoax. Russian authorities know what happened but they shamefully choose to spread disinformation and deny facts, images and testimonies, once again trying to reverse blame and pushing responsibility towards Ukraine. Three years later, it is crucial to recall the facts.

After Russian forces withdrew in March 2022, Ukrainian authorities and international investigators (from UN, ICC, NGOs and independent experts) uncovered mass graves and bodies of civilians, many showing signs of execution, torture, and mutilation. Some victims had their hands tied, shot at close range. Over 450 bodies were discovered, including women, children, and elderly people. Reports documented rape, looting, and indiscriminate killings. Forensic experts confirmed evidence of torture, with burn marks, broken bones, and missing teeth. Survivors described summary executions and the use of civilians as human shields.

Satellite imagery and intercepted communications confirmed bodies had been lying in the streets while Russian forces were still present. Investigations by the UN and Human Rights Watch confirmed deliberate targeting of civilians, constituting war crimes under international law.

The ICC and Ukrainian prosecutors have launched war crimes investigations, identifying Russian military units involved. But Bucha is not an isolated case.

In Mariupol, Russian forces relentlessly bombed civilian infrastructure, including a maternity hospital and a theater sheltering hundreds of civilians, with the word "children" clearly marked outside. Thousands of residents were killed, and the city was reduced to rubble, with many survivors forced into mass deportations to Russia.

In Izium, after Ukrainian forces liberated the city in September 2022, they uncovered a mass grave with over 440 bodies, many showing signs of torture, execution, and mutilation. Some victims had broken bones, tied hands, and gunshot wounds to the head, similar to the horrors in Bucha.

In Borodyanka, Russian airstrikes flattened entire residential blocks, burying civilians alive under the rubble.

In Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, Russian forces subjected civilians to electric shocks, beatings, and psychological abuse. Survivors recounted weeks of inhumane treatment, starvation, and threats against their families.

The missile strike on Kramatorsk railway station in April 2022 killed over 50 civilians, many of whom were trying to evacuate.

The list could go on.

These war crimes are not isolated incidents but part of a deliberate campaign of terror and destruction against Ukrainian civilians. The EU continues to support the International Criminal Court (ICC), United Nations, and multiple human rights organizations to continue to gather evidence and build cases to hold all those responsible for these heinous crimes, including Russian military and political leadership, to account. We stand firmly with Ukraine, and demand justice for the victims and survivors.