Butscha after the Russians left: Buried where it was possible

Booby traps everywhere and graves in private gardens – this is what it looks like in the suburbs of Kyiv from which Russian troops have withdrawn. The Ukrainian government suspects that they will now try to take Kharkiv.

The Kyiv region is apparently free again – free of Russian troops, but not of their shells and mines. Demolition squads are therefore currently on the move in the badly damaged suburbs. “There are booby traps that the Russians left behind,” says Bogdan Danilyuk from the responsible emergency service. Cars could also be mined. “If you open the door, an explosion can occur. There could be grenades under corpses – and if you move the body, they could explode.”

Mines must be cleared

According to the UN, Ukraine is one of the most heavily mine-polluted countries in the world. More than 1.8 million people lived surrounded by mines for eight years. Due to Russia’s war of aggression, this number is now likely to be significantly higher.

Eliminating booby traps and projectiles and recovering killed civilians – that’s what’s at stake in north-west Kyiv. In all the places and settlements where the war raged and wiped out lives. In Worsel, Hostomel, Irpin, Borodyanka and, of course, in Bucha.

The local mayor today called on community service workers and hospital doctors to return and start work. In Bucha there is no electricity, no gas and no mobile phone connection. Ukrainian media showed that the soldiers are trying to provide the people with some hot food.

Again and again graves in the middle of private gardens

“We cook buckwheat porridge with lard – whatever works – here in the field kitchen,” says a soldier. Aid is being distributed in the satellite town of Kiev, videos show a long line – people are apparently queuing for medication.

More bodies are discovered in courtyards and cellars. Eyewitnesses describe that many of those shot had their hands tied and their eyes blindfolded. Photographs from Butscha repeatedly show graves in the middle of private gardens.

Klitschko warns against returning to Kyiv

In order to solve Bucha’s atrocities, Ukraine has set up an international investigative team. It is based at the Attorney General’s Office. The EU and the US have already pledged to send experienced investigators and professionals. The UN Security Council is also dealing with what happened today. President Volodymyr Zelensky joins the session.

In the Ukrainian capital, on the other hand, the situation seems to be easing somewhat. Apparently, however, Kyiv cannot breathe a sigh of relief yet. Mayor Vitali Klitschko asked the residents who had fled not to make their way back home for the time being. You should wait another week, Klitschko wrote. The mayor still thinks rocket attacks are possible.

Kharkiv now in focus?

After withdrawing from the Kyiv region, Russia would try to take the city of Kharkiv – the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine assumes this. Kharkiv, the country’s second largest city, is predominantly Russian-speaking. Before the outbreak of war, 1.5 million people lived there. The border with Russia is only 40 kilometers away.

Prevent the Mariupol scenario in Kharkiv

Rocket fire and artillery shelling reached Kharkiv in the first days of the war. “Our armed forces are holding their positions, in some directions we are trying to drive out Russian troops,” says the head of the regional authority, Oleg Sinehubov. “But we understand very well what the enemy is capable of, we see their maneuvers and regroupings. Our military is preparing. Enemy units will not be able to position themselves close to the city of Kharkiv.”

For Kharkiv it is probably a question of preventing the Mariupol scenario. The situation is currently getting worse in the east and south of the country. The local authorities are reporting heavy shelling and an intensification of fighting in the Luhansk region. The Ukrainian military is expecting massive attacks in the Donbass in the near future.