Kallas and Wadephul state in Bucha that Russia’s crimes must not go unpunished

According to Ukrinform, this was stated by EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas, who is visiting Ukraine with a delegation of EU ministers, in a post on social media platform X.

“Bucha has come to symbolise the cruelty of Russia’s war. Of the civilians killed, many were shot at close range. Some with their hands tied behind their backs. Four years after these mass killings, we remember the victims,” Kallas stressed.

She emphasized that denying these crimes is unacceptable.

According to her, the EU is working to ensure that those responsible do not escape punishment, in particular by supporting the establishment of the Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine.

Kaja Kallas

Kallas insists that Russia must be held accountable for its actions in Ukraine.

In turn, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul emphasized that the mass killings of Bucha residents by the occupiers have become a symbol of Russian war crimes and barbarism, so those responsible for the atrocities committed in Ukraine must be punished.

“Four years ago, the world held its breath. When Ukrainian soldiers liberated the Kyiv suburb of Bucha after a month of Russian occupation, they were confronted with a scene of horror. Many of us will never forget these images: civilians shot dead in the streets. Murdered in their front gardens. Burned alive. Thrown into cellars or sewers. Buried in mass graves. Countless reports of rape and torture,” Wadephul stated.

1 / 16

According to him, this also serves as a testament to what people in the occupied territories of Ukraine have had to endure for the past 12 years.

“Bucha stands as a symbol for countless other Russian war crimes. The Izyum massacres, the bombing of the Kramatorsk train station, the siege of Mariupol – wherever Putin's Russia goes, murder and barbarity follow,” Wadephul underlined.

Also, he said, Bucha also embodies the strength of the Ukrainian army in recapturing large swaths of the country’s territory, the resilience and courage of Ukrainians, and their right to a peaceful future, free from Russian oppression.

The minister noted that today’s meeting of EU foreign ministers in Bucha and Kyiv sends a clear signal that “Ukrainians are part of our European family. We will resolutely accompany them on their path to the European Union, a path they chose in 2014 during the Euromaidan protests”.

Furthermore, it is also a signal to Russia, because “those responsible for this war and the crimes committed must not go unpunished – we owe this to the victims, their families, and friends.”

That is why, he said, the German federal government is supporting Ukraine in gathering evidence and documenting Russian crimes. “As a founding member of the Compensation Commission and through our advocacy for a special tribunal for the crime of aggression against Ukraine, we are working with our partners to ensure the legal reckoning with Russian atrocities,” the German foreign minister stated.

He emphasized: Russian war crimes also demonstrate that security in Europe “security remains achievable not with, but only against, Putin's Russia.” The minister stressed that Moscow responds to all of Ukraine’s proposals for negotiations and a ceasefire with “bombing raids, missile strikes, and drone swarms.”

As reported by Ukrinform, on March 31, Kallas arrived in Kyiv along with EU ministers to honor the memory of the victims of the Russian occupation in Bucha.

Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha called on all countries to join the agreement on establishing a Special Tribunal to investigate Russia’s crime of aggression, as its launch this year is key to restoring justice and strengthening international law.

Photo: Volodymyr Tarasov/Ukrinform

Ukrinform's photos can be purchased here.