On the second anniversary of the liberation of Kyiv region from Russian invaders, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy honored the memory of Ukrainians killed by the invaders during the occupation of the Bucha community.
The Head of State put an icon lamp to the Wall of Remembrance near the Church of St. Andrew the First-Called and All Saints in Bucha. The Wall of Remembrance consists of several steles, each with plaques engraved with the names of the victims. Currently, the memorial contains 509 names of civilians who have been identified. Some plaques are still nameless.
The President and other attendees honored the memory of the victims with a moment of silence.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy was joined by Head of the Presidential Office Andriy Yermak, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada Ruslan Stefanchuk, ambassadors of foreign countries and heads of foreign missions and international organizations accredited in Ukraine.
During the Russian occupation in March 2022, the Church of All Saints of the Ukrainian Land, whose parish belongs to the Kyiv Diocese of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, became a symbol of the resilience and indomitability of Bucha residents. On its territory there is a mass grave from which 116 bodies of the city's residents were exhumed after the liberation of Kyiv region. They were later moved to the cemetery.
The Russian army entered Bucha on February 27, 2022. During the 33 days of occupation, the Russian military committed more than 9,000 war crimes in Bucha district and killed more than 1,400 civilians, including 37 children.
The Armed Forces of Ukraine liberated the city on March 31. It was after the liberation of Kyiv region that the first statements were made by world leaders about the genocidal nature of the Russian army's war crimes in Ukraine.