President Maia Sandu in Bucea: "We believe in Ukraine's victory!"
President Maia Sandu, as well as the people of the Republic of Moldova, stand with the global community in remembrance of the terror in the Ukrainian town of Bucea a year ago. The statement was made today by the head of state during her visit to Bucea, a town that has become a symbol of Russian atrocities.
"Many of our people have watched with sadness and horror the bleeding in Bucea and Ukraine. I visited the suffering towns of Bucea, Irpin and Borodianka last June to see for myself the consequences of Russia's aggression. The crimes committed here still mark me today. There are no words to describe your tragedy," said President Maia Sandu.
In her speech, the head of state once again condemned the brutal war unleashed by the Russian Federation in Ukraine, as well as the atrocities committed by the Russian army near Kiev and in other regions of Ukraine occupied or bombed by Russian troops.
"Crimes against humanity must lead to serious consequences so that history does not repeat itself. We owe this to the people of Bucha - those who died, those who were displaced and those who defended their city. (...) We believe in Ukraine's victory in this unjust struggle for existence as a state, as a nation, with the full restoration of the territorial integrity of your country. And we demand justice. Without justice, there can never be peace. Glory to Ukraine!", reads the statement of the President of the Republic of Moldova.
President Maia Sandu is in Ukraine today. The head of state attended the Bucha 2023 Summit at the invitation of her Ukrainian counterpart Volodimir Zelenski. Slovak Prime Minister Eduard Geger, Slovenian Prime Minister Robert Golob and Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic also attended the event.
Ukraine marks today, 31 March, one year since Russian troops withdrew from the Kiev suburb of Bucea, leaving the bodies of executed civilians strewn in the streets in what has become a symbol of alleged Russian war crimes. A year after the massacre that horrified the world, Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelenski presented the community of Bucea with the honorary "Hero City of Ukraine" award. The Kiev leader also issued a message on social media assuring that all those responsible will be held accountable for their crimes.
"We will never forgive," the Ukrainian president wrote in his message.
On March 31, 2022, the town of Bucea was deserted by Russian troops. After the liberation of the town, numerous signs of Russian war crimes were found, in particular mass killings of civilians, torture, rape and looting. The massacre was condemned by activists, politicians and cultural figures from Ukraine, the EU, the US, and other countries around the world, including Moldova.
President Zelenski described the massacre at the time as genocide and called on the International Criminal Court to investigate what happened in Bucha. The Russian leadership then denied Russian military involvement in the incident, describing the photos and video footage documenting the killing of civilians as "another Kiev staging for Western media".
