Joe Biden on Monday called Russian President Vladimir Putin a “brutal war criminal” over what the U.S. State Department, Ukrainian government, and mainstream corporate press are calling “apparent war crimes” in Bucha, Ukraine — a suburb on the outskirts of Kiev.
“You may remember I got criticized for calling Putin a war criminal,” Biden said standing outside of Marine One. “Well, the truth of the matter is we saw what happened in Bucha”
“He is a war criminal,” Biden added. “But we have to gather the information. We have to continue to provide Ukraine with the weapons they need to continue the fight, and we have to gather all the detail, so this can be an actual, have a war crimes trial.”
NOW – Biden: Putin is a "brutal war criminal" and calls for trial.pic.twitter.com/stgeTM4oxo
— Disclose.tv (@disclosetv) April 4, 2022
Biden said that “what’s happening in Bucha is outrageous” and added that he will put more sanctions on Russia over the alleged killing of civilians.
According to the western corporate press, the U.S. and Ukranian governments, “Ukrainians in Bucha are finding scores of bodies in yards and on the roads amid mounting evidence of intentional and indiscriminate killings of civilians.”
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky had also paid a visit to “show the world” what are allegedly Russian war crimes in the area.
“We want you to show the world what happened here. What the Russian military did. What the Russian Federation did in peaceful Ukraine,” Zelensky said to reporters. “It was important for you to see that these were civilians.”
When your people are brutally murdered in the XXI century… Bucha. Mass burial of civilians.#BuchaMassacre#stoprussia pic.twitter.com/bkiuN9ZkET
— Defence of Ukraine (@DefenceU) April 4, 2022
The Russian government in a statement claimed that no civilians were killed during their occupation of the town. They maintain that their forces had left the area on March 30 — four days before the Security Service of Ukraine and representatives of the Ukrainian media arrived to Bucha to discover the evidence of war crimes.
They claim that the images and videos purporting to show dead civilians on the streets of Bucha were staged specifically to distribute via the western media outlets.
“[These images are] yet another provocation. During the time this settlement was under the control of the Russian armed forces, not a single local resident was hurt,” the Russian Ministry of Defense claimed, adding that the scene is “another example” of “staged material from the Kiev regime” made for western media audiences. “As it was the case with the Mariupol maternity hospital, not to mention other cities,” the Russians added.
Some users online pointed to a now-deleted video apparently posted by Sergey “Boatsman” Korotkikh, a member of the neo-Nazi Azov paramilitary battalion titled “The BOATSMAN BOYS in Bucha” that appears to depict Ukrainian soldiers discussing shooting “guys without blue armbands” in Bucha on March 3.
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" pic.twitter.com/n8WY1D0xRe— Russians With Attitude (@RWApodcast) April 3, 2022
“Why are some of the dead on the photos from Bucha wearing white armbands which civilians in Ukraine do to show to Russian soldiers that they’re pro-Russian?” is a question that someone should probably be asking” the Russians With Attitude podcast asked on Twitter.
Some claim that the bodies seen in Bucha were not seen in a separate video posted by the Ukrainian National Police on April 2, when they stated they were going to clear Bucha of “saboteurs and Russian collaborators.”
“Special forces have begun a clearing operation in the city of Bucha in the Kyiv region, which has been liberated by the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The city is being cleared from saboteurs and accomplices of Russian forces,” they said in a statement.
This, according to critics, could indicate that the massacre in Bucha occured after Russian forces had left the area.
One strange development came from Ukrainian MP Ilya Kiva, who posted a video in which he apparently alleges that the death of civilians in Bucha was prepared by the Ukrainian Security Service (SBU), and planned by the British Intelligence Agency MI6.
🇺🇦🇷🇺❗❗❗️#Ukrainian MP #IlyaKiva said that the #tragedy in #Bucha was prepared by the #SBU, and planned by the #British intelligence #MI6#RussiaUkraineConflict#Russia #Ukraine #News #istandwithrussia #BREAKING pic.twitter.com/bmMgEDsuyW
— RAZOR'S DESTINY (@razor_destiny) April 4, 2022
Kiva was previously known to be one of the last pro-Russian members of the Ukrainian parliament, who accused the Ukrainian government of putting out a video showing Zelensky in the hospital with a military medic named Inna Derusova, who Kiva said had actually died a month prior – indicating that the event was staged. Kiva provided a report on her death as evidence that the Ukrainian government was lying.
Since then, Kiva been charged with treason and accused of spreading “Russian propaganda.” The government cites an appearance on Russian television prior to the conflict, in which he reportedly urged the Kremlin to take action in Ukraine.
Satellite photos reported by the New York Times claim to show the bodies were there before the Russians left, appearing to contradict Russia’s claim. Others believe the bodies would be in a more advanced state of decomposition, or have been found by animals if they were there for an extended period.
BREAKING: Satellite photos show bodies lay in Bucha for weeks, disproving Russia's claim that the scene was staged after they left – NYT pic.twitter.com/QC32f37lXV
— BNO News (@BNONews) April 4, 2022
Ukraine is defending itself from Russia’s “special military operation” it launched in February following a years long standoff over the disputed Donbass region. Russia claims it launched its “special military operation” to defend ethnic Russians from Ukrainian state violence, while Ukraine and much of the international community claim the invasion was unprovoked.
