"We join our friends in sorrow". Flag at half-mast as Pszczyna mourns Bucha massacre

"Due to the tragic death of many residents of our partner town of Bucha, mayor Dariusz Skrobol has declared April 4-7 days of mourning in the Pszczyna Municipality area. As a sign of mourning, the flag of Pszczyna at the Town Hall shall be lowered at half-mast, and flags at flagpoles shall have mourning ribbons," the town authorities said on Facebook.

Pszczyna and Bucha are partner towns. On Monday morning, members of the local government, mayor Dariusz Skrobol, and chairman of the town council Leszek Szczotka issued a joint statement.

"We are deeply shocked with the reports of barbarity which took place in Bucha. Murdering residents of Kiev area residents is an act of genocide. There's no excuse for such actions. The horryfying images of cruelty cannot be left without an international reaction. The world cannot tolerate war crimes. Those responsible will have to face consequences of their disgraceful deeds," we read in the statement.

They added that they were joining their friends from Bucha in sorrow and that they wanted to show them support. "Cooperation between the two towns led us to establishing a very close relationship. It's hard to find words that could express our emotions. When your friend is suffering, you suffer too," they said.

On March 5, a few people-strong team led by Pszczyna mayor set off towards Ukrainian border in two vans filled with gifts. "We've just unloaded gifts for our friends in Bucha, collected by Pszczyna Municipality residents. The situation there is very serious. The town has found itself at the front line. There's a shortage of medicines, food and hygiene products. Hence the decision to act immediately," Dariusz Skrobol said on March 6.

The gifts were transloaded in Korczowa and were suposed to go to through Lviv to Bucha.