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Did Russian forces carry out genocide in Bucha, Ukraine?


The mayor of the town of Bucha confirmed that Russian forces killed more than 400 civilians in an attack on April 1. In the wake of the tragedy, gruesome images of bodies strewn on city streets surfaced, and the president of Ukraine called it “genocide.

“They are lying there,” said Valadyslav Minchenko, a Ukrainian volunteer collecting bodies in Bucha. “Some of them shot in the head. Some of them blindfolded, with tied hands.”

On ‘Face the Nation,’ Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called the events in Bucha  “genocide.”

What is genocide?

Article two of the 1948 Genocide Convention defines genocide as “acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group.”

According to the United Nations, Polish lawyer Raphael Lemkin coined the term “genocide” in response to the Holocaust and pushed to have it codified as an international crime.

World leaders split on calling the attack “genocide”

Some world leaders have stopped short of explicitly blaming President Vladimir Putin for instructing Russian forces to commit genocide. 

“What Putin has done in Ukraine doesn’t look far short of genocide,” British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said.

However, President Joe Biden who originally called for Putin to face a war crimes trial has called the attack on Bucha a “genocide.”

Genocide in recent history 

There have been several instances of genocide in the last century, including the Holocaust and Cambodian and Rwandan genocides. 

1994: The Hutus murdered up to 800,000 people, mainly the Tutsi minority in the East African nation of Rwanda. 

1975-1979: The Kymer Rouge massacred roughly 2 million people in Cambodia. 

1941-1945: The Nazis killed around 6 million Jews in Europe during the Holocaust. 

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JIMMIE JOHNSON: A FLATBED OF BODY BAGS SITS OUT FRONT OF A CEMETERY NORTHWEST OF UKRAINE’S CAPITAL CITY OF KYIV. 

ONE-BY-ONE VOLUNTEERS CONDUCT THE PAINSTAKINGLY GRUESOME TASK OF RETRIEVING BODIES. 

UKRAINIAN VOLUNTEER: “they are lying there. Some of them shot in the head. Some of them are shot blindfolded, with tied hands”

JIMMIE: VICTIMS WERE KILLED IN WHAT PRESIDENT VOLODYMYR ZELENSKY IS CALLING A GENOCIDE. 

CBS ANCHOR: “Is this genocide? Zelensky: “Indeed. This is genocide.”

JIMMIE: SO, WHAT CONSTITUTES A GENOCIDE AS OPPOSED TO OTHER WAR CRIMES. 

LET ME EXPLAIN. 

ARTICLE TWO OF THE 1948 GENOCIDE CONVENTION SAYS A GENOCIDE CONSISTS OF “ACTS COMMITTED WITH INTENT TO DESTROY, IN WHOLE OR IN PART, A NATIONAL, ETHNICAL, RACIAL OR RELIGIOUS GROUP…” 

A FEW INSTANCES OF GENOCIDE IN THE LAST SEVERAL DECADES INCLUDE THE HOLOCAUST, CAMBODIAN AND RWANDAN GENOCIDES. 

IN 1994, OVER THE COURSE OF ABOUT THREE MONTHS, THE HUTUS MURDERED UP TO 800-THOUSAND PEOPLE, MOSTLY OF THE TUTSI MINORITY IN RWANDA, AFRICA. 

IN CAMBODIA, FROM 19-75 TO 19-79 THE KHYMER ROUGE MASSACRED ROUGHLY TWO MILLION PEOPLE. AND DURING THE HOLOCAUST, [1941-1945] THE NAZIS KILLED AROUND 6-MILLION JEWS IN EUROPE. 

IN RESPONSE, THE TERM “GENOCIDE” WAS COINED BY A POLISH LAWYER NAMED RAPHAEL LEMKIN, ACCORDING TO THE UNITED NATIONS. HE PUSHED TO HAVE IT CODIFIED AS AN INTERNATIONAL CRIME. 

NOW WORLD LEADERS ARE WALKING THE FINE LINE OF ACCUSING PUTIN OF GENOCIDE.

AT FIRST, WORLD LEADERS WERE WALKING A FINE LINE ACCUSING PUTIN OF GENOCIDE, 

BORIS JOHNSON: ”what Putin has done in Ukraine doesn’t look far short of genocide to me.”

BUT WITH NO END IN SIGHT – LEADERS, INCLUDING BIDEN,  ARE NOT MINCING WORDS.

BIDEN: ”Yes. I called it genocide.”

JIMMIE: WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON WHAT TOOK PLACE IN BUCHA, UKRAINE?

LET ME KNOW IN THE COMMENTS BELOW.