British journalists expose 13 Russian officers and generals behind Bucha massacre
Photo: Russians occupied Bucha for just over a month (Getty Images)
British journalists have identified 13 Russian officers and generals involved in large-scale war crimes in Bucha, Kyiv region. At the start of the war in March 2022, Russian forces killed hundreds of civilians there, reports The Sunday Times.
The identities of the Russian personnel were established through the work of independent lawyers and investigators. They used open-source intelligence and obtained confirmation from Ukrainian law enforcement agencies.
In addition to the 13 officers and generals, more than 80 Russian soldiers directly involved in civilian killings in Bucha have been officially identified. However, most of them remain unconfirmed.
List of war criminals
The publication provided a list of identified Russians whose names and guilt are supported by multiple pieces of evidence from various state and independent sources in Ukraine and beyond:
- Colonel General Aleksandr Chayko, then commander of the Eastern Military District at the start of the war.
- Major General Sergei Chubarykin, commander of the 76th Guards Air Assault Division. Most war crimes in Bucha were committed by soldiers from this unit, including executions, torture, and looting.
- Regiment Commander Artem Gorodilov, call sign Uran, who led the 234th regiment. His regiment is accused of committing over 40 war crimes during Bucha's month-long occupation, a record for the largest number of documented cases. Gorodilov and his regiment are guilty of killings, looting, and rape. The regiment commander participated in the crimes committed by his soldiers.
- Lieutenant Colonel Azatbek Omurbekov, head of the 64th Separate Guards Motor Rifle Brigade. He became one of the bloodiest commanders for the number of war crimes, including in Bucha. Omurbekov is now sought worldwide as a criminal.
- Lieutenant Nikolai Sokovikov of the 5th Guards Tank Brigade, sentenced in absentia to life imprisonment for civilian killings.
- Colonel Andrei Kondrov, head of the 5th Guards Tank Brigade, who participated in Sokovikov's crimes and issued orders.
- Colonel General Aleksandr Sanchik.
- Colonel General Valeri Solodchuk.
- Colonel Yuri Medvedev.
- Lieutenant Colonel Denis Suvorov.
- Colonel Aleksei Tolmachet.
- Major General Vladimir Seliverstov.
- Major General Vadim Pankov.
- Colonel Sergei Karasev.
Photo: Russian officers and generals involved in large-scale war crimes in Bucha (The Sunday Times)
Russian atrocities in Bucha
In February 2022, during Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Bucha in the Kyiv region was occupied in the first days of the war. In just over a month of occupation, Russian forces killed more than 500 civilians in the city. The scale of the crimes became clear only after the Kyiv region was fully liberated.
The total number of victims and details of many crimes remain unknown. Dozens of people are considered missing. Many Russian punitive soldiers responsible for the crimes in Bucha have already been held accountable, with some eliminated on the front lines by Ukraine's Armed Forces.
