After the discovery of dozens of civilian bodies in the streets following the withdrawal of the Russian army, Butcha has become the new epicenter of tensions in the war in Ukraine.
The northwestern city of Kiev is trying to restore basic infrastructure after soldiers leave Moscow. In an interview with DW, Mayor Anatoli Fedoruk says that more than 300 bodies have been found, many showing signs of torture, as well as mass graves.
Against this backdrop, Ukraine and its Western allies have accused Russia of genocide and war crimes. Moscow denies it, says it does not target civilians and that it did not kill these people in Butcha – the bodies would have been placed as part of a hoax to incriminate the country.
The city’s infrastructure has also been destroyed, and very slowly life is starting to return to normal.
How is the situation in the city? For the fourth day in a row, experts are busy tracking acts of sabotage and removing landmines. Utilities are restoring infrastructure, especially electricity, gas and water supply.
There are also humanitarian issues that we are taking care of. We organize deliveries of food, medicine, hygiene products and animal feed. As there is no gas or electricity, we bought a thousand cylinders and a thousand stoves and set up places where people could prepare food. We distribute the stoves and cylinders in areas where many people live close to each other. We also appoint people in charge of cooking.
How many people lived in Butcha before the war, especially downtown, and how many are there now? Butcha had 50 thousand inhabitants. Including neighboring villages, there were a total of 67,000 people. There are currently 3,700 residents, but the number is slowly increasing as emergency services workers work to restore infrastructure. In the other villages in the municipality, the population has decreased by 30%.
Yesterday I was in Zdvijivka. There, of 1,780 residents, 760 remained. Unfortunately, six civilians were shot by Russian invaders. The villages north of Kiev were occupied in the first day or two of the war, so people were unable to flee. But the population supported each other, distributed food, medicine and thus survived the occupation.
Is the exact death toll known? So far, 320 civilians. Specialists, criminologists and investigators are now examining victims. But the death toll grows every day. Bodies have been found on private property, parks [as quantidades e informações não puderam ser verificadas de forma independente]. They were places where bodies could be buried during breaks in bombing. People wanted to bury them so they wouldn’t be eaten by dogs. Every day we see more improvised burials in the villages of our community.
Were people killed by gunfire or artillery? Nearly 90% have gunshot wounds, no shrapnel wounds [o que seria caracterÃstico de ataques de artilharia; a informação também não pôde ser verificada].
The images of the mass graves shocked. How many tombs like these were found in Butcha? Three were discovered in Butcha: on the premises of an agricultural supply company, where bodies were piled up like firewood, people who had their hands tied. And also on Voksalna and Yablonska streets, near a children’s home, where people were also found with gunshot wounds and their hands tied.
Were you in the city at the time of the invasion? Did you see civilians being shot? Both before and during the occupation I was in the city, as I should have been.
Personally, I’ve seen three cases in one place. I was on private property, and there was a shooting going on nearby. That was on Lech Kaczynski Street. There was a Russian occupation checkpoint there, and they just shot three cars.
In one, there was a man, his pregnant wife and two children. Only the man survived. He buried his pregnant wife in a trench the Russians had dug. Instead of a cross, the man put his car’s license plate on the spot. The children’s bodies were taken to the church and buried there. I don’t know if the man is still alive and what his situation is now.
Should crimes be documented, showing who the victims are and how they died? Are representatives of the International Criminal Court involved? All relevant international and Ukrainian agencies are involved in finding out the names of all the people who were shot, especially in order to be able to use the evidence and bring the criminals to justice.
Are looting taking place in the city? National police patrol every street, no looting. Because of what they have lived through, our citizens cannot even imagine such a thing.
Are there preliminary estimates of how many homes were destroyed? At least 112 homes were completely destroyed and cannot be rebuilt. Another hundred were damaged. In addition, 18 apartment buildings were heavily damaged by artillery and burned. Two of them, prefabricated, cannot be repaired. Later, experts will give more details about what can be restored and what should be demolished.
How serious is the destruction of Butcha’s infrastructure? The main infrastructure at the accesses to the city and also within the city itself is almost completely destroyed. On the third day of the war, the Russians destroyed the power substation that supplied both the city and the Ukrainian railway. The substation cannot be rebuilt, a new one will have to be built.
As for the water supply, the city has a certain peculiarity because the three districts had three systems. The plant is not working, and welders are now filling holes in the pipes caused by bombing.
How long will it take to restore the city’s infrastructure? We are doing everything we can to make it happen as quickly as possible. We were counting the days until liberation by the Ukrainian army. It’s the same now, we can’t wait for the city to come back to life. We are making every possible effort.
Many people want to go home. When will they be able to return to Butcha? Currently, there is a curfew. What will be decided later is still unclear. But I advise civilians who are not involved in community, medical or social work not to return until a decision has been made. This is especially true for women and children, as there is still no electricity, water or gas in the city.
