Arab Internet Reacts to the Bucha Massacre in Ukraine

As the world continues to watch photos and videos pouring from the town of Bucha near Kyiv after Russian troops retreated from the town and other towns near the Ukrainian capital, Arab commentators widely shared the news of the massacre with a set of unexpected reactions.

According to the mayor of Bucha, near the Ukrainian capital, more than 280 bodies have been found in mass graves discovered across the towns so far, while many other bodies were found around a number of streets, seemingly executed while in handcuffs. 

Initial reports estimate the number of killed people in Bucha, including many civilians to be at least 410, with the possibility of finding more victims in the coming days.

The shocking photos and videos documented by international media from Bucha have triggered worldwide reactions and condemnations, as they highlighted the scale of killings committed by Russian troops during their weeks-attempt to take over the town.

SERGEI SUPINSKY/AFP: Communal workers carry a body of a civilian man in town of Bucha, not far from the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv on April 3, 2022. 

In his response to the Bucha massacre, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called for accountability for Russian leaders, while other world leaders rushed to express deep shock at the scenes coming from Bucha.

In the Middle East, however, and while online people rushed to express sympathy with the Ukrainian people in the face of the Russian invasion, many remembered scenes of similar crimes committed by Russian troops and their affiliated Syrian militias during the war in Syria over the past 10 years, saying that the killings in Bucha "is one more proof of the violence and immorality" of the Russian army.

Some even argued that the global silence to Russian crimes in different parts of the world over the past 25 years has allowed Russia to go as far as committing the massacre unfolding in Bucha. 

Meanwhile, a tweet by the Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid stirred strong backlash online as online people accused him of hypocrisy and double standards, pointing out numerous massacres committed by Israel against Palestinians and Lebanese people, ones that according to them "are not less tragic" than Bucha.