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Bucha mass grave and calls for war crimes trials
Summary
A look back at the reaction to the discovery of a mass grave in Bucha, as the Ukrainian president visited the site and said talks would go on.
What did the world learn about Bucha in the days before 5 April 2022, and how did leaders respond? By that date, the discovery of a mass grave in the town near Kyiv had become the focus of the war's diplomacy.
The Battle of Bucha, part of the Kyiv offensive and the wider Russian effort to encircle the capital, lasted from 27 February to 31 March 2022 and ended with the withdrawal of Russian forces.
The mass grave
On 4 April 2022, a mass grave was found in Bucha. Kyiv region police and local residents said they believed at least 150 people were buried there. The town's mayor said the number of dead could reach 300. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited the site of the mass burial that day.
Reaction from Washington and Kyiv
Also on 4 April 2022, more images of the Bucha massacre emerged. U.S. President Joe Biden responded by calling for Russian President Vladimir Putin to face trials for war crimes.
Zelenskyy said peace talks would continue despite the massacre. The statement set the continuing negotiations alongside the evidence emerging from the town.
An appeal made a day earlier
On 3 April 2022, the day before the visit to Bucha, Zelenskyy had appeared by video at the 64th Annual Grammy Awards. In a pre-taped speech, he urged viewers to support Ukraine during the invasion in any way they could.
Taken together, the events of 3 and 4 April 2022 showed the Ukrainian leadership pursuing several tracks at once: appealing for public support abroad, visiting the site of the killings and keeping the negotiating channel open. The U.S. president's call for war crimes trials added a new element to the international response.
