Russian Foreign Ministry Says Fact-Checkers Worldwide Are Investigating Bucha Killings

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said fact-checkers from around the world are investigating the killings that took place in Bucha, a town near Kyiv, according to a report by the Russian state news agency TASS.

Zakharova stressed that it is necessary to hold accountable those responsible for what she described as the falsification of events in Bucha, TASS reported. The spokeswoman did not name specific fact-checking organizations or provide details on the scope or findings of any such investigations, according to the report.

The bodies of civilians were discovered in Bucha in April 2022 after Russian forces withdrew from the area following weeks of occupation early in the war in Ukraine. Ukrainian authorities, along with independent journalists, satellite imagery analysts, and international investigators, attributed the killings to Russian troops during the occupation.

Russian officials have repeatedly denied responsibility for the deaths in Bucha and have characterized the images and reports as staged or fabricated, a position Zakharova's comments, as relayed by TASS, appear to reiterate.

The claims made by Zakharova could not be independently verified. TASS did not cite additional sources or evidence beyond the spokeswoman's remarks.