"Tell Us Ukrainian Troop Positions," Russian Forces Torture and Kill Family

Open Space in the Residential Area of Bucha, Ukraine, Turned into a Temporary Cemetery [Image Source=Yonhap News]

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[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Kim Jeong-wan] Allegations and testimonies are emerging that Russian forces committed a mass killing of civilians in Bucha, a city on the outskirts of Ukraine's capital.

On the 4th (local time), according to foreign media such as the British BBC and The Guardian, four bodies were found in the forest of the Motoyizhin village in Bucha.

Among them, the identities of Olha Suchenko (51), her husband Ihor, and their son Oleksandr were confirmed. Olha was the village head, and BBC reported that the family is presumed to have been killed on suspicion of aiding the Ukrainian military.

They were reportedly abducted by Russian forces on the 23rd of last month for collaborating with the Ukrainian army. After the Russian troops withdrew from the Kyiv area, the bodies were found half-buried behind a house that Russian soldiers had used as a temporary barracks.

Residents said that the Russian military tortured Suchenko and her family, demanding they reveal the positions of Ukrainian artillery, then killed them and threw the bodies into a temporary pit.

Anton Herashchenko, an advisor to the Ukrainian Ministry of Internal Affairs, stated on Telegram, "The Russian military tortured and killed the village head and her family because they suspected (Suchenko) had informed the Ukrainian army of the target locations to attack."

BBC also reported that five bodies were found in the basement of a child welfare center in a nearby village. Those dressed as civilians were found dead with their hands tied behind their backs and shot in the head or chest. Their identities remain unknown, but Ukrainian officials said they were "taken hostage and executed by Russian forces."

Volunteer Vlad, who was moving the bodies, told BBC in an interview, "We heard the sound of gunshots. We are lucky to be alive."

Earlier, Ukrainian authorities announced that the number of civilian bodies found in Bucha reached 410, with more than 280 of them buried in mass graves.

President Volodymyr Zelensky, who visited Bucha that day, said, "I hope the world sees what happened here, what Russia did in peaceful Ukraine. It is important to know that the victims were civilians."

He told BBC, "Our military fights every day, but we do not want millions of lives lost. We need to talk with Russia."

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