Journalists identify Russian soldiers suspected in Bucha civilian massacre

This is stated in an investigation by Radio Svoboda.

Radio Svoboda investigated the circumstances of the executions of local self-defense members Andrii Matviychuk and Vitalii Karpenko, as well as the murders of four civilians from Bucha: Volodymyr Rubailo, Dmytro Konovalov, Valerii Kizilov, and Ihor Horodetskyi.

According to journalists, individual Russian soldiers who, as of March 2022, were part of the 234th Airborne Assault Regiment of the 76th Airborne Division of the Russian Armed Forces from Pskov, may be involved in the murders of these residents of Bucha, namely:

• intelligence sniper of the reconnaissance platoon, Sergeant Artem Dementiev;
• chief of the reconnaissance platoon, Lieutenant Artem Tareyev;
• commander of the 5th company unit, Sergeant Vladimir Borzunov;
• commander of the 5th company, Captain Yevheniy Plyusnin.

In its investigation, Radio Svoboda reconstructs minute by minute three days in March 2022 on Yablunska Street during one of the most intense periods of the shooting of civilians in Bucha by the Russian army.

Journalists collected dozens of hours of footage from surveillance cameras in Bucha, obtained photos and videos from the phones of eyewitnesses to the occupation of the city, identified several hundred Russian soldiers who operated in Bucha, and closely followed them on surveillance cameras at the time of the shooting of civilians and the executions of local self-defense members. A Radio Svoboda journalist also managed to personally speak with one of the figures in the investigation, Russian army Sergeant Vladimir Borzunov, and obtain confirmation from him that the Russian army was killing civilians in Bucha.

Other Pskov paratroopers, figures in the investigation – Artem Dementiev, Valentin Lagoda, Artem Tareyev, and Yevheniy Plyusnin – did not respond to Radio Svoboda's request for comment.

The film also shows for the first time previously unseen footage from surveillance cameras showing the shooting of civilians by Russian army troops and testimonies from relatives of the victims and eyewitnesses to the murders on Yablunska Street. 

• According to the Archive Department of the Bucha City Council, 554 civilians died in the Bucha community during the Russian occupation. 43 bodies remain unidentified, and 38 civilian residents of Bucha are considered missing. At least 33 men are still in captivity. One of the detained civilians died in Russian captivity.