Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Says Moscow Has No Illusions About New Bucha Investigations

Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Moscow does not expect new international investigations into events in Bucha, Ukraine, to yield different conclusions than previous inquiries, according to a report by Russian state news agency TASS.

Zakharova was quoted as saying that among the names listed of Bucha civilians who died, there were individuals who, according to her, had never lived in the city. TASS did not provide further detail on the source of this claim or any evidence cited by Zakharova.

Bucha, a town near Kyiv, became a focal point of international attention in early 2022 after Ukrainian forces regained control of the area and reported discovering the bodies of civilians. Ukraine and Western governments have accused Russian forces of committing atrocities in Bucha during their occupation of the town. Russia has repeatedly denied responsibility and has previously characterized reports of killings there as staged or fabricated.

TASS did not specify in the excerpt reviewed which new international investigations Zakharova was referring to, nor did it include additional context, evidence, or responses from Ukrainian officials or independent investigators regarding her statement.

This report is based solely on information provided by TASS, a Russian state-controlled news agency, and reflects statements attributed to a Russian government spokesperson. Independent verification of the specific claims was not available in the source material.