Camilla Jessen
Marking the anniversary of Bucha’s liberation, Belgium’s top officials arrive in Ukraine to show solidarity and call for justice over Russian war crimes.
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Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever has arrived in Ukraine for an official visit, accompanied by Foreign Minister Maxim Prevot and Defense Minister Theo Francken.
Prevot shared news of the visit on April 8 via social media platform X.
“Arriving in Ukraine this morning by night train with Prime Minister Bart De Wever and Defence Minister Theo Francken is more than just a symbolic gesture,” Prevot wrote. “This is a mission of support, hope, and strong solidarity with a generation of Ukrainians fighting for their freedom and future.”
The Belgian delegation began their visit in the town of Bucha, near Kyiv—a place that Prevot described as “a name now linked to horror, but also resilience.”
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He noted that on this date three years ago, Bucha was freed from Russian occupation.
“What Ukrainian troops and international investigators found was heartbreaking,” he wrote. “Mass graves, civilian bodies—including women, children, and the elderly—many showing signs of torture and execution. People with hands tied. Shot at close range. Burned. Mutilated.”
Prevot stressed that the violence in March 2022 is not rumor or speculation.
“These are facts,” he said. “Confirmed by satellite images, forensic teams, survivor accounts, and work done by the UN, the International Criminal Court, and human rights groups. Still, Russia continues to deny it—spreading lies and calling Bucha fake. But no lie can cover up the truth written in blood.”
He also pointed out that Bucha is not the only place where such crimes have occurred.
“From Mariupol to Izium, Kramatorsk to Kherson—the same pattern repeats: fear, torture, mass killings. These are not accidents of war. These are war crimes. Planned and intentional,” he said.
“Today, we remember the victims, we stand with the survivors, and we say clearly: Belgium stands with Ukraine. There must be justice. And we will not look away.”
He added that the purpose of the visit is to defend truth, remember the past, and support a future where Ukraine is free, independent, and part of Europe.
According to Belgian media outlet VRT, the delegation is expected to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during the visit.
Earlier, speakers and deputy speakers from 17 European national parliaments—along with members of the European Parliament—also arrived in Kyiv to take part in a summit of parliamentary leaders.
The visit takes place on the anniversary of Bucha’s liberation, a city that has become a powerful symbol of Russian war crimes in Ukraine.
