Orthodox priest Andriy Galavin hopes justice will be served three years after Russia’s occupation of Bucha, where his church became a temporary burial site for hundreds of victims.
However, his faith in accountability has been shaken by U.S. President Donald Trump’s outreach to the Kremlin, raising fears that Ukrainian demands – such as prosecuting Russian officials – may be sidelined.
Standing beside a memorial for 116 victims buried by his church, part of the more than 400 killed in Bucha, Galavin warned against a premature peace.
"You can force peace, you can twist arms, but until there is justice, the wound will never heal," he said.
Inside his church, photographs of alleged Russian war crimes – some taken by Agence France-Presse (AFP) journalists – hang beside golden Orthodox icons, showing civilians killed in Bucha’s streets.
One image depicts Volodymyr Brovchenko, shot in March 2022, while returning a bicycle to work. His widow, Svitlana, recalled pleading with him not to leave home. For a year, she hoped he would return.
"I do not doubt that justice will come. Trump isn’t forever," she said, adding she wanted a public trial to expose "who brings war and how it’s punished."
Since Russia’s invasion, Ukrainian authorities have launched more than 128,000 war crimes investigations, relying on the International Criminal Court (ICC) to prosecute top Russian officials. The ICC has issued arrest warrants for Russian President Vladimir Putin over the deportation of Ukrainian children, as well as for senior military officials over attacks on civilians.
Yet, Trump imposed unprecedented sanctions on the ICC and reportedly defunded U.S.-led efforts to track Ukrainian children taken to Russia. Meanwhile, Mongolia ignored calls to enforce the ICC warrant when it hosted Putin for a state visit.
Decisions undermining the ICC are "very disturbing," said Maryna Slobodyanuk, an investigator at the Ukrainian group Truth Hounds, which documents war crimes.
"It gives free rein to Russia and all aggressors," she said.
Her group is part of the Tribunal for Putin, a coalition of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) that have documented 12,000 deaths linked to possible war crimes. The coalition, which includes the Nobel Prize-winning Centre for Civil Liberties, aims to prevent future atrocities by ensuring Russia is held accountable.
"This is one of the most documented wars in human history," said the center’s head, Oleksandra Matviichuk. "Even if the international community lacks the political will for justice now, we will seize the opportunity when the situation changes."
Walking through his church’s grounds – where he once hosted ICC Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan – Galavin acknowledged that Ukrainians might wait years for justice.
"Justice is under sanctions," he said.
"We have people in our church who suffered, lost loved ones, were raped. The guns will fall silent, but they need justice to live on."
