A woman has told how Russian forces claimed they were “here to free them from the Nazis” before taking her husband outside and shooting him in the Kyiv suburb of Bucha. Iryna Abramova, 48, said that Russian soldiers shot at her house at the start of their occupation of the Ukrainian town on 5 March, causing a fire. Iryna, who was at home with her husband, Oleh Abramova, and her father, Volodymyr, said that Mr Abramova shouted that they were peaceful civilians and begged the Russian forces not to shoot. Four soldiers ordered them to come out of the house with their hands above their heads, telling them they were there to free them from the “Nazis” and demanded to know where the Nazis were hiding. The soldiers took Mr Abramova. 40, outside of the house, before another told Ms Abramova that her husband “would not return”. “The soldiers accused us of killing people in Donbas,” she said. “They accused us of killing the Berkut in Maidan as well [referring to the since-dissolved riot police unit that killed dozens of protesters during 014 Maidan protests in Kyiv]. They concluded that we were guilty and should be punished.” (…) Human Rights Watch said it had found extensive evidence of summary executions, other unlawful killings, enforced disappearances, and torture, all of which would constitute war crimes and potential crimes against humanity. following the occupation of the town about 30 kilometres from the capital. “Nearly every corner in Bucha is now a crime scene, and it felt like death was everywhere,” said Richard Weir, crisis and conflict researcher at Human Rights Watch.
via scotsman: Ukraine-Russia: Russian forces told Ukrainian woman they were ‘here to free them from the Nazis’, before killing her husband
siehe auch: Ukraine: Russian Forces’ Trail of Death in Bucha. Preserving Evidence Critical for War Crimes Prosecutions. Russian forces committed a litany of apparent war crimes during their occupation of Bucha, a town about 30 kilometers northwest of Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, from March 4 to 31, 2022, Human Rights Watch said in a detailed report released today. Human Rights Watch researchers who worked in Bucha from April 4 to 10, days after Russian forces withdrew from the area, found extensive evidence of summary executions, other unlawful killings, enforced disappearances, and torture, all of which would constitute war crimes and potential crimes against humanity. “Nearly every corner in Bucha is now a crime scene, and it felt like death was everywhere,” said Richard Weir, crisis and conflict researcher at Human Rights Watch. “The evidence indicates that Russian forces occupying Bucha showed contempt and disregard for civilian life and the most fundamental principles of the laws of war.” (…) Many residents said that Russian forces shot indiscriminately at civilians who had ventured outside. Vasyl Yushenko, 32, was shot in the neck as he went to smoke a cigarette in the enclosed balcony of his apartment. A nurse said she treated 10 people with serious injuries, including the girl who was shot while trying to run away from Russian forces. The man she was running with was killed and the girl’s arm had to be amputated.