Volodymyr Zelensky visits Bucha, Ukraine on anniversary of Russian massacre

March 31 (UPI) -- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky joined leaders from neighboring nations on Friday in the Kyiv suburb of Bucha to commemorate the massacre of hundreds of civilians during the Russian invasion a year ago.

During the ceremony, Zelensky read aloud the names of 77 victims buried in mass graves, as well as the names of 11 Ukrainian soldiers who died defending the area.

Zelensky was joined by leaders from Croatia, Slovenia, the Slovak Republic and Moldova at the Church of the Holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called and All Saints.

"When Bucha was de-occupied, the heinous truth about what was happening in the temporarily occupied territories was revealed to the world," Zelensky said. "We will never forget the victims of the war and we will certainly bring all the Russian murders to justice."

Zelensky also visited the Bucha street where Ukrainian forces eradicated a Russian armored column on Feb. 27, 2022, and posted a video to Telegram detailing the fighting at the time.

"Humanity must remember every Ukrainian city, every street whose heroism and resilience give the future to all who value life," he said.

Zelensky said more than 200 buildings were damaged in the area and shared images of the street shortly after the expulsion of Russian forces.

Ukraine's Prosecutor General, Andriy Kostin, alleged on Telegram Friday that Russian forces committed more than 9,000 war crimes in the 33 days they occupied Bucha, killing as many as 1,400 civilians, including 37 children.

He said that indictments against 35 Russian military personnel had been filed, related to the crimes committed there.

"I am convinced that all these crimes are not a coincidence," Kostin said. "This is part of Russia's planned strategy aimed at destroying Ukraine as a state and Ukrainians as a nation."