BUCHA, Ukraine - Horrific visuals came out of Bucha, north of Kyiv, when Russian forces pulled back from towns they had seized in the opening days of the war, bringing light to the horrors of Russia’s invasion of the country, which has left dozens of shattering stories behind.
Sitting at the doorsteps of her house, which now lies in ruins, Zabarilo Glina Aresntievna told Rudaw on Sunday that she lost everything in a matter of hours as she abandoned her house on March 25 fearing the arrival of Russian troops to their town.
The house, where she made warm memories with her husband and five children, was destroyed in the following day.
"Heavy feelings, but we are alive," Glina said. "We will make sure that there are no Russians again."
Bucha made international headlines as the scenes of Russian “war crimes” emerged from the town in April.
Dozens of bodies were found lying in the streets of Bucha and mass graves were uncovered when the Ukrainian forces retook the territory from Russian troops.
Ukrainian officials have repeatedly accused Russia of killing hundreds of civilians in the town. Moscow has categorically denied the accusations
Hunted by the brutal murder of her 82-year-old husband, Ludmila Kistkova recounts the sorrowful moments before her partner was shot dead in early March.
"We were at home … on March 4th, they came. We did not even know when they came in, because we were in the cellar … my husband came out to call someone and I heard a shot. Then the Russians came to the cellar door and called me. I went out and asked where my husband was,” Kistkova said, adding that her question went unanswered.
According to Kistkova, the Russian forces killed the man she shared 49 years of her life with.
She was told to stay at the cellar by the Russians. “Do not go out, sit there.”
“I sat there until nightfall. When it got dark and it seemed quiet, I took a flashlight and then realized that my husband was not alive … there was a lot of blood. I covered him with a large towel, and went back to the cellar again and spent the night there.”
Russian forces retreated from Bucha on March 31. Bodies and mass graves are still being found in the town to this day with international observers and investigators reporting on harrowing and brutal scenes in the area.
During Russia's brief takeover of Bucha, 416 civilians were killed and 187 residential buildings were destroyed, Mykhailyna Skoryk, the advisor to Bucha’s mayor told Rudaw on Sunday.
Skoryk added search operations continue for possible additional dead bodies that may lay scattered under the rubble.
Since Russia began its war on Ukraine on February 24, more than 180 buildings and 44 schools have been destroyed or damaged in Kyiv, according to the Ukrainian government and more than 13 million people gave been uprooted by the conflict.
