Ukraine’s military intelligence has claimed responsibility for killing three Russian soldiers known as the “Butchers of Bucha,” accused of participating in war crimes against civilians in 2022. The strike took place on Friday in the occupied Luhansk region, where six Russian soldiers were reportedly sheltering in a house near the city of Alchevs’k. According to Ukrainian outlet Pravda, the soldiers were part of a mobile air defense unit providing cover for a nearby Russian base. They were hit while holed up in a residential property.
What Ukrainian Intelligence Statement Said About ‘Butchers of Bucha’
“The detonation took place in the courtyard of one of the houses where six Russian invaders were with their military transport. In 2022, the indicated Russian occupiers took a direct part in committing war crimes in the city of Bucha, Kyiv region,” Ukraine’s military intelligence said in a statement.
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The strike also destroyed two Russian pickup trucks equipped with machine guns and a UAZ off-road utility vehicle.
While three of the six soldiers were killed, two others were severely wounded, according to Ukrinform, Ukraine’s state-owned news agency.
What is Butchers of Bucha Group?
The group had been directly linked to the massacre in Bucha, a Kyiv suburb, where Russian forces carried out widespread atrocities in the early weeks of the invasion. The events came to international attention after Ukrainian troops recaptured the city on April 1, 2022.
On April 1st 2022, the internet was flooded with videos of Ukrainian civilians murdered in the Bucha Massacre
The town had been liberated a day earlier
Dozens of bodies were seen on the city’s streets, many of them with their hands tied behind their back https://t.co/XVpwerwRJz
— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) April 1, 2025
Local authorities reported that 458 civilian bodies were recovered from the town, including nine children. Many of the victims were found burned or mutilated.
Investigations also revealed that girls as young as 14 were raped by Russian soldiers. A torture chamber was allegedly set up in the basement of a campground building, according to an inquiry by Radio Free Europe.
Who Were The Key Members of Butchers of Bucha Group?
Among those associated with the crimes is Azatbek Omurbekov. Another name linked is Russian General Mikhail Mizintsev, accused by the European Union of overseeing the siege and bombardment of Mariupol, which resulted in thousands of civilian deaths.
While Moscow has claimed the killings in Bucha were staged as part of a false flag operation, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has denounced the atrocities as genocide. He has repeatedly urged the International Criminal Court (ICC) to investigate Russia’s actions.
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Zubair Amin is a Senior Journalist at NewsX with over seven years of experience in reporting and editorial work. He has written for leading national and international publications, including Foreign Policy Magazine, Al Jazeera, The Economic Times, The Indian Express, The Wire, Article 14, Mongabay, News9, among others. His primary focus is on international affairs, with a strong interest in US politics and policy. He also writes on West Asia, Indian polity, and constitutional issues. Zubair tweets at zubaiyr.amin
