The German Foreign Intelligence Service intercepted radio transmissions from Russian servicemen discussing the killing of civilians in Bucha. Some of the radio conversations were linked to the bodies of people who had been documented.
This was reported by Der Spiegel.
In one radio message, one soldier tells another that he and his fellow soldiers hit a man with a bicycle. In another radio message, the man said: "First you interrogate people and then you shoot them."
Intelligence reports also say that members of Russian mercenary forces, such as the Wagner PMC, were significantly involved in the atrocities.
German intelligence states that the killing of civilians in Bucha was part of the usual actions of the Russian military, probably part of a clear strategy. The goal is to sow fear and terror among the civilian population and suppress resistance.
Intercepted communications suggest that killings may have also taken place in other Russian-occupied settlements - in particular, in the vicinity of Mariupol.