Towards Understanding the Bucha Massacre

< Bucha Massacre {masterlist}

April 4, 2022

(rough, incomplete)

updates April 8

Note April 8: way behind on updating this post and starting sub-posts - quick note on important point: bodies likely older than I had thought. But some that apparently are 2-3 days old and seen even later get a first sub-post next ...

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I started out unsure I'd be mastering this quickly, so far just aware of the allegations and some issues. I meant to do a quick take, allowing for comments, which might be a big help here - but ... already I've gone off a lot and not much slower, and this post is full of material that will instead be split up and re-organized later.

Bucha, just NW of Kiev, was recently occupied by Russain forces - now it's freed, and horror was found - many men and older boys found, executed in the last day or so, at the end of a day's long liberation but just before public announcement of an effort to cleanse the city of Russian collaborators. We're assuming none of these murdered people were the aforementioned collaborators, maybe killed on a less-publicized schedule.

No distant Russian shelling, this was cold-blooded murder - Witnesses describe killings by snipers as far back as March 5, and a general reign of terror under Russian occupation. Some found in a basement bound and murdered, as well as tortured or mutilated, depending. We're told Russian military killed all men aged 16-60 left in Bucha before leaving. Bucha Mayor Anatoliy Fedoruk said on April 2 that about 300 locals had been killed during the Russian occupation of the town and that some 280 bodies had been discovered in a mass grave. (RFE/RL)

Shapravskyi, the deputy mayor, said some 300 people were found dead after the Russian withdrawal. Of these, he said officials so far have logged 50 as executions carried out by Russian forces. Reuters could not independently verify those figures. The others were either killed in crossfire, or their deaths are so far unexplained. (Reuters)

A massacre by whoever, marketed by Ukraine and allies, and successfully - I'll need to cover that. Germany for one is set to expel Russian diplomats, increase sanctions against Russia and increase military support for Ukraine after some people were murdered - quite possibly by the Ukrainian side - because "never again" until ... next time Ukraine wants support increased? 

Hoax or Massacre? 

This always has to be alleged - people keep wanting it all to be a bad-dream-joke. As widely posted and discussed, one of the several bodies seen on the roadside "moves his hand" as the truck drives by, and then sits up as soon as they pass. The rest look totally dead - 95% excellent acting and good make-up. 

No. On review and re-review, the hand looked like just that, then anything else that might move as a truck passes - a plastic bag maybe - and then it looked more like his hand again. But the sitting up part is absolutely unclear in a few frames in a wobbling mirror. AND EITHER WAY there are the others not moving, hands tied, pools of blood just hours old, many close-up photos, looking like real dead people, some of them half-buried, some blown up, some burnt, some just starting to decay. 

In fact, these same ones may have been laying there since March 19 - see below.

Timeline: Reports vs. Images

reports summary - Russian forces claim to leave "as early as" March 30, as late as not clear. Some never left, getting shelled in place in the city. Civilians were allowed out, they say, not clear if all made it out. 

 Mayor announces on June 1 (evening) that the city was liberated from Russian forces ("orcs") as of sometime the day before, 3/31. First video of bodies published by 2 hours after statement, ~8pm local time on the 1st, seemingly filmed late that day. More and grisly images follow on the 2nd and past, showing people killed withing the last couple of days. An operation to clear Russian collaborators was announced as underway by the evening of 4/2, but forces on the ground led by Serhiy Korotkikh already that day or earlier, when Korotkikh is heard ordering people without their blue arm bands to be killed.   

I looked over a bunch of reports & photos - Thoughts: reports emphasize early killings, esp. on 3/5, in a reign of terror (RFE/RL ...). 

However, the grisly images shoved in our faces appear starting on late on 4/1 (at the latest) but most images we see that offer specific signs are from the 2nd or 3rd. These show a massacre roughly over the last 2-3 days  = March 30 April 1, just after Russian forces left and up to about the time liberation was announced, as if it was done ... once all the "orc" collaborators were dead. 

Above is a precedent for earlier deaths, and there could be others like that. Ukrainian advance forces might have been in parts o the city even before the 30th. But otherwise, these bodies appear newer, though not extremely new. 

Among those that seem executed, at least one is dead >1 day, a green spot amid other colors on his lower right belly as seen on the 2nd.  "First sign [of putrefaction]: green discoloration of the abdomen in the right lower quadrant due to the proximity of the cecum to the skin" "Putrefaction begins within an hour of death, but the peak activity of the microbes occurs around the 24-hour timeframe." some "marbling" and darkening of surrounding veins, but not very advanced - with cold weather slowing the process some, killed maybe 36-48 hours earlier = on the 31st or 1st.  A LOT, these might be a month old - I was underrating the effect of colder temperatures - cold enough the black fingers (not a normal post-mortem sign) are probably frostbite - that will be closer to decay in refrigeration, on average, with nights colder and days warmer, so what looks like a couple days of decay might take a couple of weeks.  

https://www.pathologyoutlines.com/topic/forensicspostmortem.html

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK539741/#article-27523.s3

A few faces (including the bicyclist with orange gloves) and other skin show at least some sickly gray-green color that usually takes days to develop, and longer in the cold, so deaths weeks ago seems likely.

Rigor mortis, if lacking, can mean a quite recent or less recent death, just ruling out a span between - evident rigor sets in after ~6-12 hours and fully relaxes again after 36-48 hours, maybe slower in the cold. But it's hard to say if they're stiff or not, mostly just laying there and not moved around.  https://www.pathologyoutlines.com/topic/forensicspostmortem.html

White Armbands 

Civilians were allowed out, they say, not clear if all made it out. People involved in civilian evacuations with Russia often wear white armbands, or they do itto show support to Russia in general, or the Russians forced people to wear them - accounts differ. used in Mariupol evacuation https://twitter.com/SAQI8732T/status/1510986825598308355

Many of the massacre victims we'd see wear these or have their hands tied with them. Someone could have forced them to take off the armband and then tied them up with it before they were shot. 

George Eliason @gheliason

The Ukrainians shelled and cleansed Bucha after the Russian army left the area. The white armband clearly shows a Ukrainian who supported Russia there. Ukraine has been doing this for 8 years.

"The cloth used to bind the man's hands appeared to be a white armband. Russian troops...required that local residents wear the armbands to identify themselves, according to one woman who was still wearing hers." Otherwise you can't tell who's a local resident?

https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/ukrainian-street-corpse-with-hands-bound-bullet-wound-head-2022-04-03/

Some Killed by Probable Ukrainian Shelling

Famous image of bodies in the street, including the one whose arms doesn't move: not sure if these are among those bound and executed - these few don't look like it. White armbands still in place. But FWIW it seems like a mortar shell hit here recently, likely wounding or killing anyone in this same area at the southwest corner of town (app. placement below, credit Michael Kobs). Russian MoD: "the southern outskirts of the city, including residential areas, were shelled round the clock by Ukrainian troops with large-calibre artillery, tanks and multiple launch rocket systems." Apparent angle of fire is across the street right to left, or from the south-southeast, from the direction of Irpin and Kyiv - opposite of where the Russians were.

NY Times report w satellite images refutes Russian claims of recent executions by Ukraine shows these same bodies along Yablonska street were there since March 19. It shows they're a bit west of the spot I circled, and shows the splash of that mortar strike that was longer ago than I thought. Not bound, these guys have white armbands on when someone fired the shell at them.  https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/04/world/europe/bucha-ukraine-bodies.html

Others likely killed by UA Shelling

#Bucha massacre: Russians shot and sometimes blew up, removed boots, and burned all military age men in the city, per massacre reports. I bet they found some of those, and NO 🇷🇺 soldiers in these shelled tanks or many others. You find what you look for.

https://twitter.com/CL4Syr/status/1511078959152201730

There will also be civilians, maybe children, torn up and burned, maybe from being too close to scenes like this. They would be passed off as deliberately torn up by the Russian beasts.

Timeline, Reports (more in full)

Mar 30/31: Russian forces leave, are killed while trying. MoD: "all Russian units withdrew completely from Bucha as early as March 30, the day after the Russia-Ukraine face-to-face round of talks in Turkey." Several vehicles never left, shown charred in town with inhabitants reduced to ash and bone.   

civilians evacuated - MoD: "The exits from Bucha were not blocked. All local residents were free to leave the town in northern direction, including to the Republic of Belarus. At the same time, the southern outskirts of the city, including residential areas, were shelled round the clock by Ukrainian troops with large-calibre artillery, tanks and multiple launch rocket systems."  Who stayed and why? Who meant to leave but got caught in the crossfire or murdered first?

"Liberation" commences when? 

March 31 the Russians left Bucha, according to mayor Fedoruk, But it wasn't announced until a video on Facebook, April 1, 6:31 PM local time

https://facebook.com/bucharada.gov.ua/videos/270161321982745/

"March 31 will go down in the history of our Bucha community as the Day of Liberation. The liberation by our Armed Forces of Ukraine from Russian orcs, from Russian occupiers. So today, I state that this day is joyful. Joyful and this is a great victory in Kyiv region! And we will definitely wait so that there is a great victory all over Ukraine," Fedoruk said.

As Ukrinform reported, when leaving the city of Bucha in Kyiv region, the Russian troops mined civilian buildings and infrastructure." No mention of mass murder yet. 

https://pravda.com.ua/rus/news/2022/04/1/7336396/

https://ukrinform.net/rubric-ato/3445989-bucha-liberated-from-russian-invaders-mayor.html

Apr 1/2: Azov Nazis reportedly enter Bucha

https://nytimes.com/live/2022/04/03/world/ukraine-russia-war#scenes-of-desperation-and-death-as-the-russians-retreat-from-suburbs-outside-kyiv

first footage of bodies in the street along with shelled cars, BY 4/1 8:22 pm local, less than 2 hours after the liberation announcement video, perhaps a day or more after X time on the 31st. https://twitter.com/charliekreuz/status/1509944227899260945

burnt out tanks at the center of the mess Russia left, posted by 4/1 8:44 PM https://twitter.com/ThomasVLinge/status/1509949743744569344

famous bodies along the road video (includes "moving hand) 4/1 11:07 PM  https://twitter.com/ViktoriiaUAH/status/1509985789404459011

location: https://twitter.com/MichaKobs/status/1510677495066079232

Clearing Collaborators

LB.UA reports 2 April 2022, 19:25 (local time?) - "The city is being cleared from saboteurs and accomplices of Russian forces. This has been reported by the National Police." https://web.archive.org/web/20220402185448/https://en.lb.ua/news/2022/04/02/12441_special_forces_regiment_safari.html

Implicitly had begun already that day, April 2, or just possibly earlier than that. Perhaps they announce the cleanup starting as soon as it's done, so they can say all before must've been the Russians. Also "EOD experts are inspecting the places of Russia’s war crimes and removing the explosives and ammunition which haven't detonated." War crime places will involve body clean-up = clearing accomplices? As noted above, it seems the massacre ran about March 30 to April 1, +/- a day.

Serhiy Korotkikh

https://thegrayzone.com/2022/04/03/testimony-mariupol-hospital-ukrainian-deceptions-media-malpractice/

A clip of the reported “clean-up operation” published by Sergey Korotkikh, a notorious neo-Nazi Azov member, shows one member of his unit asking another if he can shoot “guys without blue armbands,” referring to those without the marking worn by Ukrainian military forces. The militant stridently responds, “fuck yeah!” Korotkikh has since deleted the video, perhaps fearing it implicated his unit in a war crime.

https://twitter.com/RWApodcast/status/1510635133627514881

Lat night, Sergey "Boatsman" Korotkikh, infamous Neo-Nazi & member of Azov, posted a video titled "The BOATSMAN BOYS in Bucha". At the 6 second mark you can clearly hear the dialogue:

"There are guys without blue armbands, can I shoot them?"

"Fuck yeah"

On April 1, the group of Serhiy Korotkikh (Botsman) was in Bucha. He doesn't talk about any corpses in the streets either. His video shows empty streets with destroyed machinery. The video of the massacre is uploaded on day 1, there have been no Russians for more than 36 hours.

https://twitter.com/celticum/status/1510802030868189198

Original posting: https://t.me/botsmanua/16178 Apr 2 at 13:33 = 11:33 PM in Ukraine

Video not deleted, or re-instated, when I checked. Text description includes (translated) "BOATSMAN BOYS work in Bucha. Actually, there is nothing to do there." Because the collaborators were already all dead? No, some still needed shot. There was that to do. 

This guy Korotkikh - I had the name a bit wrong, but he seems to be involved in the 1/24/15 false-flag rocket massacre in Vostochniy, Mariupol. Gloating over that then vs. over new weapons now, vs. Bucha. Hm.

https://twitter.com/CL4Syr/status/1510931185337180163

Re: #Bucha massacre: Azov Battalion's Sergey Korotkikh deleted video of “clean-up operation” approving murder of anyone not in blue armbands: I know this guy! From past deleted/private videos after a false-flag massacre in Mariupol, where he isn't stuck now - a bad turn for Bucha

https://twitter.com/CL4Syr/status/1510941883849093128

Sergei Korotkikh, "Boatswain"

Сергій Коротких  «Боцман» 

w/Porshenko in 2020 https://twitter.com/life_korotke/status/1482759759023517699

2021 Serhiy Korotkykh "Boatsman" about the death of Belarusian Vitaliy Shyshov and "Belarusian House in Ukraine"  https://twitter.com/HromadskeUA/status/1430232622773547016

Feb. 25, 2022: promising to play football with the severed heads of Chechen fighters https://twitter.com/Viaches50993743/status/1497453248021770242

Feb. 26 #Ukraine: Sergey Korotkikh, a figure in the infamous Azov movement, appears with quantities of materiel intended to be used against Russian forces. However, most interestingly he is holding two UA-made Anti-Materiel rifles; SnipeX T-Rex (14.5x114) and SnipeX M-75 (12.7x108) https://twitter.com/UAWeapons/status/1497690688363900929 

March 22: https://aspi.com.ua/news/kiiv/teroborona-kieva-mae-stati-pidrozdilom-zsu-komandir-batalonu-tro-korotkikh-foto-video#gsc.tab=0

interview about the far right in Ukraine, 2014 vs. now, "certain restrictions on the use of combat skills" American & Polish fighters, "Theroboron" = national defense project Lithuanians donate to https://twitter.com/Virgis04261518/status/1504777247399555075

Russian Statement

https://t.me/mod_russia_en/656

https://www.facebook.com/100064560496880/posts/337377448424269/?d=n

The Russian Defence Ministry denies accusations of Kiev regime of allegedly killing civilians in Bucha, Kiev Region

Facts 👇

❗️All the photos and videos published by the Kiev regime allegedly testifying to some "crimes" committed by Russian servicemen in Bucha, Kiev region are just another provocation.

During the time that the town has been under the control of the Russian armed forces, not a single local resident has suffered from any violent action. Russian servicemen have delivered and distributed 452 tonnes of humanitarian aid to civilians in Kiev Region.

For as long as the town was under the control of the Russian armed forces and even then, up to now, locals in Bucha were moving freely around the town and using cellular phones.

The exits from Bucha were not blocked. All local residents were free to leave the town in northern direction, including to the Republic of Belarus. At the same time, the southern outskirts of the city, including residential areas, were shelled round the clock by Ukrainian troops with large-calibre artillery, tanks and multiple launch rocket systems.

❗️We would like to emphasise that all Russian units withdrew completely from Bucha as early as March 30, the day after the Russia-Ukraine face-to-face round of talks in Turkey.

Moreover, on March 31, the mayor of Bucha, Anatoliy Fedoruk, confirmed in a video message that there were no Russian servicemen in the town, but he did not even mention any locals shot in the streets with their hands tied.

👉 It is not surprising, therefore, that all the so-called "evidence of crimes" in Bucha did not emerge until the fourth day, when the Security Service of Ukraine and representatives of Ukrainian media arrived in the town.

It is of particular worry that all the bodies of the people whose images have been published by the Kiev regime are not stiffened after at least four days, have no typical cadaver stains, and the wounds contain unconsumed blood.

❗️All this confirms conclusively that the photos and video footage from Bucha are another hoax, a staged production and provocation by the Kiev regime for the Western media, as was the case in Mariupol with the maternity hospital, as well as in other cities.