Mass graves and bullet-scarred churches mark the torment of the Kyiv suburb of Bucha under Russian occupation, where traumatised residents now face a new anguish: a U.S.-led peace proposal that would offer a blanket post-war amnesty for the perpetrators of atrocities.
For the survivors of Bucha, where hundreds of Ukrainians were killed in 2022, the proposed amnesty is perceived less as reconciliation than as a source of disillusionment and reflects broader concerns in Ukraine about the implications of absolving Russian soldiers and officials of alleged crimes.
The town’s Church of Andrew the Apostle stands beside a mass grave where civilians — some shot dead in the street, others showing signs of torture — are buried.
Father Andriy Halavin, who leads the parish in the still-damaged church, said any amnesty would legitimize further violence as the war grinds on.
“It’s a green light,” he said after holding Sunday service. “It means you can keep bombing, keep executing soldiers, all with confidence that nothing will happen.”
The mass killings were uncovered when Russian forces withdrew from the area after their failed attempt to seize Kyiv during the full-scale invasion in 2022.
Father Andriy said many perpetrators have already been identified. Justice, he insisted, is not about revenge but about proving that accountability still matters — especially as Ukrainians are being asked to weigh painful trade-offs for peace.
The proposed 28-point peace deal followed secret negotiations by envoys of Russia and U.S. President Donald Trump.
Ukraine would relinquish territory beyond land currently controlled by Moscow, reduce its military, and give up on NATO membership. In return, Kyiv would receive international security guarantees and reconstruction assistance.
At Bucha’s military cemetery, Vira Katanenko, 66, visited the grave of her son Andrii, who was killed in battle in the Donetsk region last year. For her, the peace plan and the proposed amnesty are unthinkable.
“I can’t accept that,” she said. “They want forgiveness for all war crimes, including Bucha? That’s horrifying. Let them come here — let Trump himself come here. Let him and his family come, see our pain, and maybe then they’ll change their minds.”
European leaders insist peace talks must include Ukraine and protect its sovereignty.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says the plan represents one of the war’s most difficult moments, pledging to work with Washington but to seek changes.
A short drive from Bucha, mourners gathered for the funeral of serviceman Ruslan Zhyhunov, a 41-year-old machine gunner killed in eastern Ukraine.
Uncertainty surrounding the peace plan weighed heavily among relatives and neighbors as they watched the burial in the rain — another reminder, they said, of how fragile any promised future now feels.
“How can you exchange the territory of your ancestors for something? For what?” asked Andrii Honcharuk, a 71-year-old retired territorial defense volunteer, who attended the service dressed in uniform. “The war will not end soon. We will still be dying for a long time.”
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Oleksii Yeroshenko in Bucha and Hostomel, Ukraine contributed to this report.
Follow AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
