The following is a statement issued by the Ukrainian Embassy in Beirut:
‘Two years ago, the Defense Forces of Ukraine won their first significant victory over the Russian invader, forcing him to flee Kyiv and northern Ukraine in general. The heroic defense of Kyiv, the frantic resistance of the local population and the unexpected training of the Ukrainian military for the Russians led to a month of fierce fighting on the approaches to Kyiv. Having suffered a defeat, the enemy retreated from the Kyiv region, and already on April 2, the region was cleared of Russian troops.
It was thanks to the victory in the Kyiv region that the world was exposed to the truth about Russian war crimes, which led to mass murders of peaceful citizens, destruction of civilian objects and infrastructure. The Russians, who did not expect such a strong resistance from the Ukrainians, spared neither men, nor women, nor children.
Numerous war crimes were recorded in the liberated territories: marauding, torture, violence, and murder
. During the occupation, 1,370 residents of Kyiv region died, including 37 children, 714 civilians were tortured, and 514 citizens are still missing.
In Bucha, the Russians carried out a real genocide of Ukrainians; everything that happened in the city is now called the “Buchan Massacre”. Ukrainian defenders, who entered the city, discovered many bodies of civilians with traces of torture and rape. In total, in the Buchan district, during the 33 days of occupation, the Russian military committed more than 9,000 war crimes, and the city of Bucha, once a blooming garden, turned into a veritable hell.
The genocide committed by the Russian occupiers in Bucha is an example of how reality can be more terrifying than any horror movie. The consequences of this tragedy will reverberate for decades. At the same time, every crime has a person who committed it – such people have names and are subject to prosecution at the International Criminal Court. The duty of the world is to do everything so that those guilty of th
ese crimes suffer a just punishment.’
Source: National News Agency – Lebanon