What did 5 April 2022 bring after Bucha?
A look back at the days around 5 April 2022, when the discovery of a mass grave in Bucha shaped the diplomatic response.
What did the world know about Bucha by 5 April 2022? In the preceding days, reports and images had emerged from the town near Kyiv, and they were shaping the response from Kyiv and abroad.
The Battle of Bucha, part of the Kyiv offensive, had lasted from 27 February to 31 March 2022 and ended with the withdrawal of Russian forces. It was part of a larger tactic to encircle the capital.
A mass grave
On 4 April 2022, a mass grave was found in Bucha. Kyiv region police and local residents said they believed at least 150 people were buried there. The mayor said the number of dead could reach 300. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited the site of the mass burial.
Reactions
Also on 4 April 2022, U.S. President Joe Biden called for Russian President Vladimir Putin to face trial for war crimes after more images from Bucha emerged.
Zelenskyy said peace talks would continue despite the massacre. The position set out a dual track: continued negotiation alongside the public documentation of what had been found.
The appeals for international attention had already been under way. On 3 April 2022, during the 64th Annual Grammy Awards, Zelenskyy appeared by video and delivered a pre-taped speech urging viewers to support his country during the invasion in any way they could.
By 5 April 2022, then, the picture combined a grave site, a call from Washington for war crimes trials, and a Ukrainian leadership that said it would keep talking.
