HS visited Bucha, which was liberated from Russian forces. Traces of brutal activity are still visible in the mass grave of civilians.
Bucha
Russian The brutal face of the invasion of Ukraine peeks out of a mass grave in Bocha northwest of Kiev.
There are about 70 bodies in the graves dug into the churchyard. The bodies on display are in civilian clothes. Part of the body is put in garbage bags, one is wrapped in a sheet. For some, not even a garbage bag has been enough as a last resort. The limbs are gleaned from here in the middle of the soil.
The German Shepherd who arrived drinks from a puddle next to a pile of corpses.
Photographs and other evidence of Bhutan spread to the world here have revealed more about the atrocities committed by Russian soldiers against civilians. Among other things, the civilians had their hands tied behind their backs in Butcha and had been executed. The townspeople had also been tortured and indiscriminately shot.
Dozens of bodies have been buried in the churchyard.
The body is cut from the grave.
Next to the mass grave of Pastor Andrei Halavi.
At the mass grave standing on the experience remains shocked, a priest from a nearby church Andrei Halavin. He says the Russians in the city did not give permission for a long time to bury the bodies on the streets. The bodies were eventually on the street for so long that the dogs began to eat them, Halavin says.
According to him, there were Russian soldiers from all over the country in Bocha. When the Russians came, at first some of the soldiers said they had come to liberate the Ukrainians.
“However, the actions of the Russian soldiers were different. They came into the houses and kicked the doors open. They only cared about looting and killing people. We had to hide in the basements, ”says Halavin.
Russia, for its part, has claimed the Butchan massacre as a staging of the Ukrainians and has therefore demanded that the matter be considered by the UN Security Council. Russia has denied war crimes against civilians and said it was only providing humanitarian aid to locals.
“At the same time, they didn’t say we had launched an attack.”
The priest says the Russians did not give permission for a long time to bury the bodies on the streets.
Mass grave by the way, Halavi is left to wonder what makes people commit such atrocities against innocent civilians.
“I can’t say what has led to such evil. It is exactly the same as the Russians trying to explain what happened in Bushan, that cannot be justified at all. We did not threaten Russia or the Russians in any way, this is a crime against humanity. ”
“Russia does not care about the people, but only about the conquest of Ukraine. I can’t explain the evil of what Hitler made. In the same way I can’t understand Putin”Halavin says.
Finally, Halavin requests that his thanks be passed on to Finnish readers as well. He is grateful to all the outside powers that have helped Ukraine and the Ukrainians in the midst of a great distress.
Old Mrs. Maria did not dare to go out during the occupation.
Military pastor Mykola Medinski comforts Mrs. Masha, who is crying out in Bocha.
Butšan the streets do not show many residents. Many have fled the city, and their homes have been mostly left to the elderly. One old man begins to cry when asked about experiences under Russian occupation. He can’t talk about it. Too scary place.
Elderly, appearing only by first name Maria in turn, it tells of the fears of the townspeople towards the Russians. He did not dare to go out because the Russians could shoot anyone. Bombings and fires were feared.
“The Russian soldiers behaved in this way because Putin had ordered them to destroy Ukraine. So that we don’t even have food left in the shops, ”Maria accuses.
“Of course, I hope that the withdrawal of the Russians would mean a victory for Ukraine. At the same time, I am still trembling with fear as I fear the Russians are still here. Not even the Nazis did such atrocities here, ”Maria says, remembering the German occupation of World War II.
The streets of Bushan are an inconsolable sight.
Sleeves rotate underfoot.
Butchassa has also begun to make eye contact. On Monday, the President of Ukraine visited the city Volodymyr Zelenskyi and the Speaker of the Ukrainian Parliament.
Security measures were extensive. The special forces soldiers involved had the best possible weapons and equipment and action than in the movies.
On Monday, a military pastor had also arrived from Kiev Mykola Medinski.
“If someone asks what pure evil looks like, it looks like this. Russia is the embodiment of evil, ”Medinski says.
“Butshan’s events have been hell for the townspeople. This was not a war, but pure terrorism by the Russian state. Russia is a threat not only to Ukraine but to the whole world, ”says the military pastor.
Medinsk also has nothing to say about the leader of the Russian Orthodox Church, the Patriarch of Moscow Cyrillic. The patriarch has supported Putin’s military expedition in Ukraine.
“The Russian Orthodox Church has nothing to do with religion. The purpose of the Cyrillic Church is only to support Putin’s propaganda. Like Putin, Kirill should be convicted of these war crimes. ”
Butšan there is a lot to see on the streets. People’s houses have been set on fire and those cars that have not burned are punched by bullets. Passenger cars have been driven over. The bodies that used to be on the streets have already been repaired almost completely elsewhere. The man has still found a bag of dog food in the pet store.
Under the legs rotates the sleeves of a wide variety of weapons. Residential houses have burned down. Traffic lights are hovering over their cables. The scene is in many places like an apocalyptic movie. Not only is this a complete reality of our time.
One of the toughest battles in the city of Butša was fought on Rautatiekatu. The destruction is as great as on Raate Road. The street lined with residential buildings is full of numerous completely destroyed Russian armor. Warfare is everywhere. Dogs without owners are looking for food in the ruins.
Various parts of the Russian armor have been thrown into the middle of the houses by the force of the explosions. Crawls of tracks here and there, towers have flown in explosions wherever it hurts, Russian soldiers’ clothes and sleeping bags are hanging on the ground.
The insole has exploded from the soldier’s boot. One of the surviving Russian military food packaging had an expiration date last year.
Confused by the shock, Andrei tries to clean the street in front of his house.
A fallen Russian soldier lies by the destroyed armor.
One in front of the house Andreiksi the man present sweeps his house to represent the traces of war clean. The man seems to suffer from the trauma of events as he repeats the same words all the time.
“A Russian soldier came to our house but fortunately didn’t shoot us. Russia is from Satan, killing and torturing people here, ”he repeats.
It is written on the side of one of the armor that “Putin is a dick”. A modest reminder to the Russian troops has been written on the fence of the apartment: “People live here.”
Along the road to Butcha, Russian armored vehicles have been here as well. Judging from the rubbish, the liquor has been drunk, including “Al Capone”. The paper instructions for the body bag flutter in the middle of the war scrap.
A Russian soldier who looks young next to one armor has been badly burned. He’s dead on the side of the armor next to the ammunition box.
Ukrainian soldiers come next to the bodies to take photos of themselves in memory and at the same time show the middle finger to the deceased.
“Fuck off,” the soldiers say.
A Russian soldier’s fur hat and a drinking bottle have been left on the ground.