To mark the second anniversary of the Kyiv region’s liberation from a brutal month-long Russian occupation on Sunday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky paid tribute to those who died at the hands of Russian forces in the Kyiv suburb of Bucha, his press service reported.
Zelensky was accompanied to a memorial ceremony held at the Wall of Memory outside the Church of St. Andrew the Apostle and All Saints in Bucha by Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, the speaker of Ukraine’s parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, as well as by foreign ambassadors to Kyiv.
Photo: Office of the Ukrainian President
“The people killed by the occupants, whose bodies lay in the streets of Bucha, were evidence that no one in the world could afford to ignore this battle. After all, it is here in Ukraine, defending our people, our lives, our state, that humanity wins,” Zelensky said.
The President of Ukraine also expressed gratitude to the Ukrainian population, the armed forces, as well as to all foreign countries who were supporting the country.
The Russian army entered Bucha on 27 February 2022. The Armed Forces of Ukraineliberated the town on 31 March. Over 33 days of occupation, the Russian military is believed to have committed at least 9,000 war crimes.
