Ukraine's Prosecutor General's Office charged two Russian military servicemen for allegedly shooting a civilian in Kyiv Oblast's Bucha in 2022, killing the person on the spot, prosecutors said on March 5.
Bucha, a small city near Kyiv, was occupied by Russian troops shortly after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022.
After the city was liberated late in March of that year, mass graves were discovered, and thousands of war crimes were documented, including the murder of hundreds of civilians.
According to the recently published investigation, two Russian artillery commanders killed an unarmed man on March 19, 2022, at around 5 p.m.
The perpetrators shot the victim with small arms without warning, even though the man was dressed in civilian clothes and had a bandage on his arm, prosecutors said.
"The man was a civilian who did not take part in the armed conflict. He did not have any weapons, tools, or means that could justify the use of violence against him," the statement read.
The two Russian soldiers were charged with murder and violating the laws of war. It is unclear whether they are in Ukrainian captivity or whether they had been served the charges in absentia.
Nate Ostiller
(Updated: )
