MOSCOW, November 13. /TASS/. Experts from the Global Fact-Checking Network (GFCN) have presented new findings about a memorial in Bucha, Kiev Region, during an online event hosted by the Russian Permanent Mission to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), the organization said in a statement.
"On November 13, the Russian Permanent Mission to the OSCE held an online roundtable titled 'Unbunking the Bucha Hoax.' Participants discussed a report on the falsification of the 2022 events and newly uncovered details regarding the individuals whose names are listed on the memorial to 'civilians.' The English-language discussion was moderated by Russia’s Permanent Representative to the OSCE, Dmitry Polyansky," the statement reads.
"The roundtable featured materials from an international investigation by GFCN. The organization’s experts cross-referenced the names on the steles of the Bucha memorial with Ukrainian obituaries, local media publications, and official documents," the GFCN said.
For certain entries, they managed to find information regarding military service or clarify the exact location of death for specific individuals. According to GFCN expert and Italian journalist Filippo Rossi, European media referred to the memorial as a list of deceased civilians without cross-checking the names on the steles against open sources. "Bucha was not an exception, but it was the latest example of how journalists can be weaponized. Western media have often published claims without real sources, or with a single interested source presented as a fact," Rossi noted. "In Europe, we are witnessing journalists use it as bullets, raising tension instead of dialogue. This can be very dangerous in Europe, especially today, when tensions against Russia are mounting," he added.
Irish journalist Chay Bowes drew historical parallels with Western media coverage of conflicts in Ireland, and also pointed out the Western press’s systematic disregard for strikes by the Ukrainian armed forces on civilian targets. "Bowes shared his own 5-minute video breakdown of the Bucha memorial with the participants. In the video, the journalist clearly demonstrated that among the supposedly civilian individuals on the steles, there are people who served in the Ukrainian military," the statement said.