Concerned About The Situation In Bucha, Indonesia Supports The Establishment Of An Independent Investigation Team By The United Nations And UNHCR

Conditions in Bucha, Ukraine. (Twitter/@DefenceU)

JAKARTA - Indonesia supports the formation of an independent investigative team related to the tragedy in Bucha, Ukraine to obtain clarity on the true events, as well as express deep concerns.

Hundreds of people are reported to have died in the city of Bucha, Kyiv region, Ukraine, with dozens of them allegedly executed, when Russian troops occupied the area for a month.

"Of course, Indonesia is deeply concerned about the humanitarian situation that is happening there. There are civilian and military deaths, of course, things that we deeply regret and are deeply concerned about," said Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Teuku Faizasyah in a virtual press statement Thursday, April 7.

On this occasion, Teuku Faizasyah also expressed Indonesia's support, related to the formation of an independent investigation team, to obtain clarity on what happened in Bucha.

"It is underlined that Indonesia strongly supports what the Secretary-General of the United Nations and UNHCR are doing regarding research on things that are not normal from the war in Ukraine, with the formation of an independent investigative team. In order to obtain the widest possible clarity, regardless of daily news," the light

Regarding the planned working visit of the Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs Retno Marsudi to several G20 countries in Europe, Teuku Faizasyah said that on various visits, various issues were always discussed in the meetings held.

"So it's not a single topic, discussing various things. The context of the G20, but also the issues surrounding the war that is happening are also the topic of discussion.

"Certainly the Foreign Minister will make efforts to ease tensions, seek solutions from related parties, gain a comprehensive understanding, share thoughts, visions, and perceptions," he said.

Bucha, 37 km (23 miles) northwest of Kyiv, was occupied by Russian forces for more than a month after the February 24 invasion of Ukraine. When Russian troops withdrew last week, they left dead civilians in the streets of Bucha, inside buildings, and buried in shallow graves.

Local officials say more than 300 people were killed by Russian forces in Bucha alone. Of these, about 50 of them were executed, as reported by Reuters on April 7.

The Ukrainian government accuses Russia of genocide and war crimes. The Kremlin, meanwhile, dismissed the accusations as propaganda and said its forces were not targeting civilians.