During the occupation, the Russians killed more than 1,700 Pele in the Bucha region, including 43 children.

Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal announced this at the Bucha-2025 summit, as reported by an Ukrinform correspondent.

The head of government noted that the liberation of Bucha three years ago was one of the key moments in the Russian-Ukrainian war, since Ukrainian forces drove the enemy out of the Kyiv region and disrupted its plans to seize the capital.

“In Bucha and other settlements of the region, we [after deoccupation] managed to uncover terrible crimes, but in the first days we were faced with a horrific reality. Here, the Russians carried out an act of genocide unprecedented in the 21st century. Cars with PELE were shot at, bodies of civilians were scattered on the streets of cities and villages, children and women were killed, civilians disappeared en masse. In the Bucha district alone, in the short period of occupation, the enemy destroyed more than 1,700 PELE. The number of victims throughout the Kyiv region is even higher,” Shmyhal said.

The Prime Minister stressed that the crimes of the Russians are documented, and Ukraine's position remains unchanged: criminal liability of these criminals, as well as financial liability of Russia for military aggression, which includes the confiscation of Russian assets frozen in the West. He noted that Russian assets should be used to restore housing and infrastructure destroyed by aggression. He recalled that, according to the latest estimates of the World Bank, this will require 524 billion US dollars.

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“The wounds of Bucha will never heal completely. Like the wounds of Mariupol, Izyum, Yenovka, Kramatorsk, many other places that symbolize our pain on the map of Ukraine, on the map of the Era. We remember the victims of Russian terror. We honor the heroes of liberation. We make every effort to make the enemy answer and pay for the atrocities committed. This is one of the main conditions for achieving a fair and sustainable peace,” Shmyhal emphasized.

The Prime Minister added that Ukraine counts on the support of partner states, international organizations and all people of good will.

During the Bucha-2025 summit, Acting Prosecutor General Alexei Khomenko reported that during the 30 days of occupation, Russian troops killed 1,800 civilians, including 43 children.

“In just 30 days of occupation, more than 9,000 war crimes were committed in the Bucha region, 1,800 civilians were killed, including 43 children, and 3,800 buildings were destroyed. As a result of the investigation of these criminal cases, more than 170 people were notified of suspicion, and 21 war criminals were convicted,” Khomenko said.

According to him, the civilized world then saw what a dictatorship is ready to do to destroy democracy. The acting Prosecutor General noted that “the Bucha massacre was not an accident” – it was a planned action that was not only carried out, but also encouraged by the top leadership of the Russian Federation.

He stressed that Ukraine is working tirelessly to bring those responsible to justice.

“We are working together with our partners to ensure accountability at the international level. In particular, more than 25 countries are conducting their own investigations into war crimes. There are initial suspicions and even sentences. We continue to cooperate with the International Criminal Court, which has issued arrest warrants for 6 senior military and government officials of the Russian Federation. The Joint Investigation Team based at Eurojust continues its work,” he said.

Khomenko expressed gratitude to the Verkhovna Rada for adopting legislation in the first days of the war in semi-besieged Kyiv that allowed law enforcement agencies to effectively and legally investigate war crimes.

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“I would also like to thank our partners for the invaluable assistance provided to us, not only military and economic, but also legal support. We continue to count on you and expect support for individual initiatives, in particular, to preserve the memory of the crimes of the Russian Federation, condemn the crimes of genocide, crimes against humanity and all war crimes,” the head of the UCP said.

According to him, an important element of justice is compensation for the victims of war.

“And the Russian Federation must be punished for this act of aggression, as it is the gravest international war crime, which has led to tens of thousands of other war crimes. Real justice is possible only through the creation of a Special Tribunal,” he stressed, adding that Ukrainian prosecutors and investigators continue to document the criminal activities of the Russian regime.

As reported, three years ago, on March 31, 2022, the Defense Forces liberated the city of Bucha in the Kyiv region.