In Ukraine's martyred Bucha, more victims are buried without a name

Agence France-Presse
August 19, 2022

In Ukraine’s martyred Bucha, more victims are buried without name © France 24

In March, during the early days of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, numerous atrocities were committed in small towns north of Kyiv – horrors that are still being documented today. In Bucha, an estimated 458 prisoners of war and civilians were slaughtered under Russian occupation, at least fifty of whom are yet to be identified.

The victims are now being buried in the local cemetery while the investigation into their identities continues. A truck arrives from the Bucha town morgue — inside, the remains of 20 unidentified bodies. It's the third such burial at the town cemetery in the last week. Father Andriy stands alone among the dead — there are no relatives here to mourn their passing. As they are lowered into the ground, he is here to ensure they will not be forgotten.

"It is very important for us to bury them with dignity, not just to bury them as bodies, but to bury them as people with the hope of resurrection from the dead," says the Orthodox priest.

Six months after the massacre in Bucha, the scene at the cemetery is the beginning of a process of closure. However, it won't be complete until every last body has been identified and the relatives informed