DISINFO: The images of dead bodies in Bucha may be a diversion of attention from US biolabs in Ukraine
SUMMARY
Last Saturday night, images of bodies lying in the streets of Bucha, some with their hands tied, were released. Advisor to the Ukrainian president, Mikhail Podoliak, stated that the civilians "were unarmed", "posed no threat" and "were shot dead by Russian soldiers".
For its part, the Russian Ministry of Defense branded the images showing dead bodies of civilians in the streets of the Ukrainian town as "provocative" and denounced that it is a "staging" created "for the Western media."
For her part, the spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, stated that it could be a measure aimed at "diverting attention" from the US biological laboratories in Ukraine, "frustrating the peace negotiations and escalating the violence."
RESPONSE
Pro-Kremlin disinformation obfuscating atrocities against Ukrainian civilians committed by the Russian armed forces in Bucha, in the vicinity of Kyiv. Amplification of prominent pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about biological weapons and secret labs.
Russia's claims that video footage showing dead bodies on the streets of Bucha is staged have been fact-checked and debunked by the BBC, Bellingcat, The Atlantic Council, Mediazona and others.
Accounts of violence against civilians in Bucha have been collected by the Human Rights Watch:
On March 4, Russian forces in Bucha, about 30 kilometers northwest of Kyiv, rounded up five men and summarily executed one of them. A witness told Human Rights Watch that soldiers forced the five men to kneel on the side of the road, pulled their T-shirts over their heads, and shot one of the men in the back of the head. “He fell [over],” the witness said, “and the women [present at the scene] screamed.”
See also here.
The President of Ukraine, who visited the liberated town of Bucha, said:
"These are war crimes and they will be recognized by the world as genocide. We are aware of thousands of people killed and tortured, with their limbs cut off. Raped women, murdered children. I believe this is genocide"
The European Union has condemned in the strongest possible terms the reported atrocities committed by the Russian armed forces. The EU called for accountability for human rights and international law violations by the Russian Armed Forces, including full support for the investigation launched by the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court.
Read more about the EU's response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
See related examples of disinformation about biological laboratories here.
See a related disinformation claims, alleging that videos from Ukrainian town Bucha are context-and-evidence-free