Who is behind the Bucha crimes
Images of lifeless bodies in the streets of Bucha, on the outskirts of Kiev, have shocked the world. The mass graves with civilians, as well as the brutal testimonies of local citizens, show the violence and barbarity of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Bucha is not the only town where war crimes are being committed. The Ukrainian authorities fear that in the coming weeks we will discover other 'Buchas' in the territories occupied by Russian troops.
New drone imagery shows Russian forces firing on a cyclists in Bucha, on Yablunska Street at 50.54148, 30.228898, where multiple corpses have been filmed and photographed https://t.co/1GPF9NJjcB pic.twitter.com/CBR3DnMyyq
— Bellingcat (@bellingcat) April 5, 2022
The UN has recently called for an independent investigation into the Buchas massacres. For its part, Moscow denies its involvement in war crimes and accuses Ukraine and other Western countries of orchestrating a 'frame-up' to 'discredit and dehumanise' the Russian army. However, satellite images dismantle the Kremlin's arguments and show that there were dead bodies in the streets of Bucha almost two weeks before Russian troops withdrew.
In parallel, the volunteer initiative InformNapalm, a project that monitors and collects Russian troop movements in Ukraine, has identified Lieutenant Colonel Azatbek Omurbekov as the leader of the unit responsible for the Bucha atrocities.
Reportedly, one of the brigades that tortured, raped and killed people in #Bucha - unit 51460 from the village of Knyaze-Volkonskoye, Khabarovsk Krai, #Russia. Commander of the unit is Lt Colonel Omurbekov Azatbek Asanbekovich. #BuchaMassacre pic.twitter.com/ukTftkdR3Q
— Giorgi Revishvili (@revishvilig) April 3, 2022
. The military officer, in his 40s, was decorated by Dmitry Bulgakov, Russia's deputy defence minister in 2014. InformNapalm, which has contributors from several countries, was born as a response to the Donbas war in 2014. In addition to monitoring Russian forces, the website aims to 'debunk myths and expose the secrets of Moscow's hybrid warfare'.
Azatbek Omurbekov, nicknamed the 'Butcher of Bucha', commands the 64th Separate Motorised Rifle Brigade, a unit stationed in Bucha. InformNapalm activists have released his personal details, including his full name, email, address and telephone number.
Covering this war for over a month now, but the pictures I had to process this weekend have been the most horrowing so far. We show edits to our viewers, because this is the true face of this war. Calls for a new Nuremberg trial are getting louder #vrtnws #bucha #UkraineWarCrimes pic.twitter.com/vedq4Kx4m7
— Tom Van de Weghe (@tomvandeweghe) April 3, 2022
Both Omurbekov and the brigade he leads are from Khabarovsk, the second most populous city in the Russian Far East after Vladivostok. In fact, before leaving for Ukraine, the colonel took part in a church service led by the local bishop.
This is Omurbekov Azatbek Asanbekovich the commander of unit 54 160 who committed the #Bucha massacre.
— Russian war crimes (@WCrimesRussian) April 5, 2022
In #Russia, the mothers of soldiers denounced the violence that reigned in this unit, the hazing, extortion, and the arbitrary power of these commanders. pic.twitter.com/W3aAkVcLcv
During the ceremony, Omurbekov received a blessing from an Orthodox priest, reports The Times. "History shows that we fight most of our battles with our souls," the colonel said after the service, according to the British newspaper.
"Weapons are not the most important thing. The church is a place where we can commune and prepare for the coming events. With the blessing of the Almighty, we hope to achieve the same things our ancestors achieved," he added.
Azatbek Omurbekov is now accused of orchestrating looting, rape and indiscriminate executions against the Ukrainian civilian population. Witnesses also told the AFP news agency that Chechen fighters led by Ramzan Kadyrov were also among the Russian troops.
In addition to Omurbekov's information, InformNapalm also published images of Russian soldiers who took part in the massacres in Bucha, although they have denied this. "Comrades who served with me since 2014 and I have been accused of committing war crimes in Ukraine," said one. Others claimed that there was "no evidence" and that "it's all lies".
Work continues in Bucha to recover and identify bodies. According to local authorities, more than 300 bodies have been recovered, although the actual number may be higher. Also, as the days go by, new atrocities committed by Russian troops are being uncovered.
The Ukrainian Prosecutor General's Office has reported a torture chamber found in the basement of a children's hospital. According to the agency, police found the bodies of five men bound and with clear signs of torture.
The president himself, Volodimir Zelensky, has addressed the UN Security Council to denounce the crimes committed by Russian forces. The Ukrainian leader described the massacres as "genocide", claiming that the Russians were killing "for pleasure". Zelensky spoke of the murder of "entire families, adults and children", as well as brutal sexual assaults on women.
"They cut limbs and throats, raped and killed women in front of their children. Their tongues were torn out just because the attacker did not hear what he wanted from them," he said, trying to express the suffering of the town near Kiev.
In addition to recounting the massacres in Bucha, Zelensky compared the actions of Russian troops to the atrocities committed by Daesh, describing these acts as "the most terrible war crimes" since World War II. In this regard, Defence Minister Oleksiy Reznikov also pointed to the similarities between Russian forces and the Nazis. "This is what SS troops used to do in the past," he said.
A survivor of Bucha massacre, with English subs. pic.twitter.com/SLCwqStQhN
— Ostap Yarysh (@OstapYarysh) April 6, 2022
Maintaining the analogy with Nazi Germany, Reznikov also made reference to the Nuremberg trials, asserting that "Russian fascists will be held responsible for every Ukrainian life taken and maimed". "The phrase 'I was only carrying out orders' at the Nuremberg trials will not save any criminal," he added.
During his speech, Zelensky also criticised the Security Council, a UN body where Russia is a permanent member and has the right of veto. "Where is the security that the Security Council is supposed to guarantee?," he asked.
The Ukrainian leader has also taken a swipe at the UN and its inaction, an aspect of the organisation that has been criticised on numerous occasions. Zelensky recalled that the purpose of the UN was to keep the peace, however, he also pointed out that the UN Charter "has been literally violated, starting with Article 1". "What is the point of all the other articles?" he added.
The Security Council, in particular the veto power of its permanent members, has been widely criticised, even described as ineffective during armed conflicts. As a result, proposals have been put forward to reform the body, though none have yet been implemented.
