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Stories of atrocities poured out of Bucha, Ukraine, after Russia retreated from areas close to Kyiv.
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A brand new Reuters report identifies troopers and navy models that had been in Bucha earlier than the retreat.
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One soldier was recognized as a result of a love letter addressed to him was left behind in a civilian dwelling.
A Russian soldier in Bucha whereas atrocities had been dedicated left behind an figuring out doc: a handwritten love letter signed off with an imprint of a crimson lipstick kiss.
Reporters from Reuters spent weeks in Bucha, Ukraine, after Russian forces accomplished their retreat from the areas round Kyiv final month. The report, revealed Thursday, consists of new particulars about what occurred in Bucha based mostly on interviews with almost 100 residents, paperwork left behind by Russian forces, and photograph and video proof.
One Bucha resident advised the outlet he found the letter after returning dwelling to seek out a lot of his home destroyed. It was in his front room amongst a pile of paperwork, together with Ukrainian id paperwork belonging to civilians the Russian troopers had questioned or detained.
“It is good you’re shut, shut in my coronary heart, however you’re far, serving our Motherland, defending us. I am happy with you!” the letter mentioned.
The kiss imprint was seen in a photograph of the letter revealed by Reuters.
The letter was signed by Oksana Rybakova and addressed to Aleksandr Logvinenko, a Russian soldier the outlet later recognized as a paratrooper.
Reuters contacted Rybakova, situated in Russia’s Pskov area, who mentioned Logvinenko was her companion, although she later retracted the declare. Two individuals who knew the couple additionally confirmed their relationship to the outlet.
Stories of atrocities and potential warfare crimes poured out of Bucha after the Russian retreat, together with the killing and rape of civilians in addition to the invention of mass graves, prompting requires an worldwide investigation.
The outlet recognized particular troopers and navy models that had been in Bucha and linked some to particular acts of violence towards unarmed civilians. Russia has dismissed stories of atrocities in Bucha and claimed the accounts are faux.
One other Russian soldier was recognized by the outlet after spray-painting his social media deal with on the partitions of a home near the place the letter was discovered.
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