No Evidence That the Bucha Massacre Was Staged

Misbar has investigated the claim and found it to be misleading. The video circulating has been edited from the original, which shows the aftermath of the Bucha massacre in greater detail, including the process of dragging corpses.

Misbar's team was able to locate the original video by searching for the keywords "bodies," "corpses," "Bucha," "Soldiers," and "dragging" in both Ukrainian and English. The Associated Press Archive published the video on April 7, 2022. 

According to the video's AP Archive storyline, a column of tanks and armored vehicles led by Ukrainian soldiers dragged the bodies off the street, fearing they were booby-trapped with explosives.

What Is a Booby Trap?

A booby trap, according to Merriam Webster, is "a concealed explosive device designed to detonate when some harmless-looking object is touched."

Misbar's team investigated the method of tying bodies on battlefields with ropes and discovered that it was a method of dealing with corpses suspected of being booby-trapped.

Description: Dragging bodies is commonly used when fearing booby traps.

Retreating Russian Soldiers Left Behind Booby Traps in Different Locations 

Several news outlets have reported that Russian soldiers had booby-trapped corpses before retreating. 

Furthermore, on April 2, 2022, President Zelenskyy warned that Russian soldiers who were retreating mined homes, equipment, and even bodies.

Anatoly Fedoruk, the Mayor of Bucha, previously told Al Jazeera that the bodies could not be collected due to fears that they had been booby-trapped by Russian soldiers. 

According to a New York Times article published on April 2, 2022, Ukrainian soldiers tried to determine whether corpses were booby-trapped by tying them to ropes and moving or dragging them in several other locations, including Irpin, another suburb of Kyiv.

The death toll from the Bucha massacre is expected to exceed 300 people. It has been denounced by global media and described as a “nightmare,” “horror,” and “hell.”

Misbar has debunked other claims that suggested that the Bucha massacre was staged. No credible source has ever confirmed that any of the Bucha massacre's events were staged.