"Zachistka" - The Truth About Bucha
On this Day Three Years Ago - A founder of our organization Ukraine Story was among the first to enter Bucha after Russians were repelled. Here is what happened.
Imagine stumbling unexpectedly into the ninth circle of Dante's Inferno. But you are not reading a book or watching a horror film. There is nothing fictional about what you are witnessing.
The day is April 1, 2022. You are a retired U.S. Army officer voluntarily assisting Ukrainian defenders. You've been tasked with assessing damage in a small town called Bucha on the outskirts of Kyiv.
Less than 24 hours before your arrival, Russian soldiers with the 104th, 234th, and 76th Guards Air Assault Division occupied the town.
Here is what you know: The invaders have withdrawn hastily, possibly leaving antipersonnel landmines behind. There are unconfirmed reports of Russian atrocities, but you have no idea what you will find.
As you enter Bucha, you discover a community in ruins. Destruction everywhere - civilian vehicles, businesses, homes.
You turn onto Vokzalna Street. Total carnage. Next you walk down Yablunska Street, once the main avenue of this peaceful community of teachers, artists, and small business owners.
The enormity of the terror emerges.
Scattered on the street are charred and disfigured remains of citizens of Bucha, often with their hands tied behind their backs. Survivors walk like zombies around the dead, leaving them untouched.
Bodies of civilians are found disposed of in the forest and makeshift graves. Here, there is a young man’s corpse dumped in a sewer. His mother is crying uncontrollably at his discovery. There, remains of a woman now covered in trash. The bodies of parents are found beside their murdered children. Typically, there is a Russian bullet to the skull, execution style.
You investigate homes turned make-shift Russian torture chambers. You look for information about the Russian units responsible. Survivors are being interviewed. Testimonial and forensic evidence reveal the Russian practice of raping Bucha’s girls and boys, sometimes along with the mothers, before executing family members.
Intercepted transmissions from Russians in Bucha reveal that they called it "Zachistka" - the cleansing. Ukraine must be “cleansed” of Ukrainians. The same transmissions reveal Russian mothers encouraging their soldier sons occupying Bucha to kill women and children.
One member of your team is unable to cope with mental anguish. There is a meltdown. You must keep it together. A lot's at stake. It means finding a way to switch off your feelings. You must become a machine long enough to complete the mission. There is work to be done, bodies to be buried, information to be gathered.
One day you return to the United States.
The next afternoon, you go for a drive. Children are finishing school. People are shopping at malls, eating at restaurants, and preparing to see the latest blockbuster at the theater.
Life seems peaceful. Calm. Happy.
Just like it was in Bucha the day before the Russians arrived.
DW Phillips is a filmmaker, attorney and journalist. He is director of Ukraine Story, a foundation for documentary reporting.
In many of my Substack posts I refer to Putin as the Butcher of Bucha. This is a horror story that needs to be told, re-told, and told again until it seeps into the collective conscience. Putin's Russia is a vile murderous dictatorship that is on our doorstep. With Mad Orange Man in charge across the Big Pond, Europe needs urgent action to be able to keep ut the Bear.
My God. I vaguely remember something about Bucha from a while ago, but this is horrific. I had no idea.