Russia's Lavrov calls for UN probe into Bucha events, submits report to Guterres

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has called on the United Nations Secretariat to carry out a detailed investigation into the events in Bucha, handing a report to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres that alleges the events were falsified, according to Russian state news agency TASS.

The report reflects Moscow's longstanding position disputing widely reported accounts of events in the Ukrainian town, which Ukraine and a number of Western governments have described as atrocities committed against civilians by Russian forces during the early phase of the war.

Competing accounts

Russia has repeatedly denied responsibility for the killings in Bucha since they came to light in 2022, while Ukrainian authorities and independent investigators have presented evidence attributing the deaths to Russian forces that occupied the town.

It was not immediately clear how the UN Secretariat would respond to Lavrov's request, or whether any further investigation would be undertaken as a result.

The exchange underscores the continuing dispute between Moscow and Kyiv over the events in Bucha, which remain a contested and emotionally charged episode of the war.