Ukraine Peace Plan Darkens The Mood Across A War-Torn Nation
HuffPost
A proposed peace plan for Ukraine led by the United States has been met with anguish by many Ukrainians, who fear a post-war amnesty for Russian forces would erase accountability for alleged atrocities.
Mass graves and bullet-scarred churches mark the torment of past Russian occupation in the Kyiv suburb of Bucha, where traumatized 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 a reconciliation than as a source of disillusionment.
It’s a feeling being felt in other communities and reflects broader concerns across Ukraine about the implications of absolving Russia, and its troops 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.
