What did Bucha change for diplomacy by 5 April 2022?
A look back at the political reaction in the days after evidence of killings in Bucha emerged, including the discovery of a mass grave.
What did the images from Bucha mean for Ukraine's political leadership and its allies? By 5 April 2022, the question was pressing, after reports from the town near Kyiv had dominated the previous days.
The Battle of Bucha, part of the Kyiv offensive, lasted from 27 February to 31 March 2022 and ended with the withdrawal of Russian forces. Only after that did the scale of what had happened in the town become visible.
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. Ukraine's President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, visited the site.
Reaction abroad
The same day, U.S. President Joe Biden called for Russian President Vladimir Putin to face a war crimes trial, after more images of the massacre emerged.
Talks to continue
Despite the killings, Zelenskyy said on 4 April 2022 that peace talks would continue. The statement set out the position of Ukraine's leadership: it would keep pursuing negotiations even as evidence from Bucha accumulated.
On 3 April 2022, a day earlier, Zelenskyy had also appeared by video at the 64th Annual Grammy Awards. In a pre-taped speech, he urged viewers to support Ukraine during the invasion in any way they could.
Taken together, the events of those days showed a leadership engaged on several fronts: visiting a site of mass burial, keeping the negotiating channel open and appealing for public support abroad, while Western leaders began to speak openly of legal accountability.
