The media in Russia continue to invent fakes in order to limit themselves from the brutal murders committed in the Kyiv region by the Russian military. One way to manipulate is to involve foreign experts in order to give their comments credibility and impartiality, as well as to create the illusion of Western support for the Russian version of events in Ukraine.
Thus, the Russian media refer to the alleged US political scientist Jim Jatras, who claims that the events in Bucha are an episode of the work of Ukrainian propaganda, and also that Kyiv is not interested in conducting any investigations. This does not correspond to reality, because the crimes committed by Russian troops in the Kyiv region are documented not only by the Ukrainian authorities, but also by international media and human rights organizations.
Prior to this, Jim Jatras has repeatedly commented on events in a favorable light for Russia on such propaganda resources as RT and Sputnik. For example, he previously stated that Ukraine was unlikely to exist as a state, and President Zelenskyy was likely to be a president in exile. Previously, Jatras actively defended the Moscow Patriarchate and spread Russian disinformation about the Orthodox Church of Ukraine. Therefore, such comments by Jatras are not unusual, they are in step with the Russian version of the atrocities in Bucha and other cities of the Kyiv region, discovered after the de-occupation of the region.
As you know, the Kyiv region was completely liberated from Russian invaders on April 2. As of April 3, 410 bodies of killed civilians were removed from the territory of the Kyiv region. In particular, mass graves of civilians were found in Bucha. Maxar Technologies Company, which collects and publishes satellite images of Ukraine, has provided evidence that the first signs of a mass grave near the Church of St. Andrew the First-Called and All Saints in the city of Bucha were noted on March 10. Shelling and active hostilities had been carried out in the Kyiv region since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. For example, on March 6, the Buchansk City Council wrote that the shelling continues, the Russians were killing civilians and even children, robbing shops and not letting volunteers into the city. Evidence of war crimes committed by the Russian army is documented by various international human rights organizations.
Thus, The New York Times, after analyzing satellite images in Bucha, also has concluded that many civilians were killed more than three weeks ago, when the Russian military controlled the city. An analysis of the images showed that the bodies appeared on Yablonska Street between March 9 and 11, and were found in the same places when the Ukrainian army entered Bucha. That is, there can be no question of any alleged Ukrainian propaganda — there are irrefutable facts that indicate that Russian troops were involved in the atrocities in Bucha. The statement that Kyiv is not going to investigate is also a lie. President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy has pointed to the existence of a huge amount of evidence and noted that Ukraine would do everything possible to hold the Russian military accountable. The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry also has called on missions from the International Criminal Court and international organizations to come to Bucha and other cities and villages in the Kyiv region to collect evidence of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by Russians. This means that an international investigation is inevitable, as well as responsibility for the war crimes of the Russian Federation on the territory of Ukraine.