US Secretary of State Addresses Democracy Summit on Anniversary of Bucha’s Release

The United States supports efforts by Ukraine and the international community to document and investigate war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by Russian troops and officials in Ukraine.This was stated by US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken in his video address at the summit on the anniversary of the liberation of the Ukrainian town of Bucha.“When Ukrainian troops liberated Bucha that day a year ago, they saw the consequences of the massacre. Hundreds of men, women and children have been wantonly killed by Russian troops. In one street alone (Buchi), 40 bodies were found,” Blinken recalls.“Soon, the whole world saw evidence of these crimes in photographs and video recordings, the heart of which contracts,” continued the head of American diplomacy. “Civilians executed with their hands tied behind their backs, a children’s summer camp turned into a torture chamber, mass graves.”“We also heard testimonies from survivors; people raped by Russian soldiers; a 14-year-old boy whose father was shot in front of him; families who were not allowed to bury their loved ones,” Blinken said.Each of these testimonies confirms the suffering of individuals, the secretary of state said, and over the past year there has been mounting evidence of similar atrocities by Russian forces across Ukraine.Blinken said these actions are part of a campaign of widespread and systematic violence against civilians, including rape, torture, enforced disappearances, forced deportation of children and executions, and attacks on homes, schools and hospitals.“When I visited Irpen, I saw destroyed houses. In Kiev, I spoke with children who were injured as a result of the relentless Russian attacks on the civilian population,” Blinken shared in his recollections.”Russian troops and officials have committed and continue to commit war crimes and crimes against humanity in Ukraine,” the US Secretary of State said. “The perpetrators of these atrocities must be held accountable. The United States supports Ukrainian and international efforts to document and investigate these atrocities. Today, together with countries and organizations around the world, we continue to demand justice for Ukrainians and Ukraine.”We repeat: what happened in Bucha and other cities, and what continues to happen in Ukraine, is unacceptable,” he said. “We reiterate our commitment to the ‘dignity and value of human life’ as enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations.”The United States will continue to support Ukraine as it defends its people and fights for their sovereignty, territorial integrity, and democracy, the Secretary of State concluded.“We will not forget the Ukrainians who suffered and were killed. And we will continue to seek accountability and justice for (the perpetrators) for as long as it takes,” he concluded.