Now we are afraid of silence: the locals about the liberation of Bucha from the Russian occupiers
On March 31, it officially became known that Ukrainian defenders had liberated Bucha in the Kyiv region from Russian invaders. From the first days of Russia’s large-scale war against Ukraine, fighting took place in this city.
Putin’s troops not only ruthlessly destroyed everything around them with their shelling, but also killed civilians and prevented them from leaving the city.
After a month of occupation and active fighting, at least 3,000 people remained in Bucha. Today, they are coming to the city center to receive humanitarian aid. Most people did not leave their basements for almost a month.
One of the locals said that she had remained in the city since the first days of the full-scale war. She and five others have been living in the basement since about February 26. Among them are an elderly woman and an 8-year-old child.
– Now we are afraid of silence, windows and everything else. We went outside for the first time the day before yesterday (April 1, – Ed.), – the woman shared.
Another local woman, Larisa, recalls how the Russian invaders destroyed everything in the city.
– When they came, they broke down doors, windows, broke down fences. My classmate was taken to be shot. Another acquaintance was threatened to throw a grenade into the cellar if it did not come out and kneel before them. When they went out, they promised to come and it would be even worse. “People are very intimidated,” she said.
The woman says that in a month her family has become so used to the constant shelling that she has not even gone down to the cellar.
Due to the constant shelling, people were preparing to eat on the street, lighting a fire. They did it near the houses so that in case of another attack they could hide.
– Now I cook for 10 families. There used to be more of us, but two people died. One man was killed while walking a dog. A volunteer was also killed. When our soldiers first arrived, we started crying, kissing them, hugging them. We felt like people, – says local resident Halyna.
Locals also recall how Putin’s troops fired the city from tanks that stood right in the middle of apartment buildings.
– There were seven tanks here. They fired at them so that the walls rattled. My apartment is on the second floor. Such a bullet flew into my house that if it weren’t for the dog that took me away from the window, I wouldn’t have survived. Everything is broken: windows, doors, – says Mrs. Maria.
Before the war, Bucha was a constantly evolving city. But after Putin’s invading forces invaded, there is little reminiscence.
The houses were either completely destroyed or badly damaged. Russian looters visited the apartments, brazenly breaking down doors and taking everything they wanted. And on the streets you can still see the bodies of dead civilians who were cynically killed by Putin’s troops.
