The Mayor Calls The World Must Punish Russia For Waste In Bucha During The Population

Body in Bucha City, Ukraine. (Wikimedia Commons/npu.gov.ua/National Police of Ukraine)

JAKARTA - Mayor of Bucha, Ukraine Anatolli Fedoruk said the world must hold Russia accountable for the atrocities committed during its tenure in the city in March last year during a visit to Washington, United States on Monday.

"They have never been convicted and they have never been brought to war courts," Fedoruk said while speaking at the think tank Wilson Center.

"Russian troops say the Russian phrase 'war will erase it, so kill, rape and torture'... we have to do everything we can to punish such crimes," he exclaimed.

According to Ukraine and charities, Russian troops left traces of evidence during their occupation of Bucha, a city about 30 km northwest of Ukraine's capital, Kyiv, from March 4 to 31, 2022.

The Kremlin vehemently denies allegations related to the killing of civilians, including in Bucha, in which it says cemeteries and bodies have been set by Ukraine to accuse Russia.

A report from Human Rights Watch found a lot of evidence of "short executions, other illegal killings, forced disappearances and torture, all of which constitute war crimes and potential crimes against humanity" by Russian forces against Ukrainian civilians there.

"Almost every corner of Bucha is now a crime scene, and it feels like death is everywhere," said Richard Weir, crisis researcher and conflict researcher at Human Rights Watch, when releasing the report in April.

Meanwhile, former US Ambassador and Wilson Center President Mark Green said 458 bodies were found from the ruins of the city, with 419 having signs of torture and other mass trauma.

"Bucha represents the world's first definitive view of how Russia's military uses atrocities in Ukraine as a deliberate tactic," Green explained.

Fedoruk is known to be 'hidden' to coordinate aid, for several thousand people who stayed during Russia's occupation.

His interviews with international media during the spring and summer of 2022 helped spread news about Russian war crimes.

He recalled what he described as "the beautiful and growing city of Bucha" in his remarks on Monday. "Before the invasion, our city developed according to the economic development of our country. We are building schools, kindergartens, we are raising children," said Fedoruk.

"But on February 24, we didn't expect that we would wake up with a missile attack," he said.

Discussions at the Wilson Center also discussed efforts to rebuild Bucha after the crash.

"The task now before the mayor and his team... is now one of them reconstructing and bringing home the residents of Bucha. Their work is not only about restoring buildings and infrastructure, but also documenting Russian war crimes and atrocities, helping the city to reunite as a community," Green said.

"We will rebuild, but we will not forgive (Russia) for what happened," Fedoruk said.

"Those who give orders, and all who truly commit the crime, must be punished," he stressed.