“Who allowed you to live so well”: how Russians fled Kyiv region and what they left behind
31 March 17:27
march 31 marks the third anniversary of the liberation of Bucha from the Russian occupiers. The battle for the city, which became a symbol of the brutality of the Russian war, lasted more than a month – from the first days of the full-scale Russian invasion until the end of March 2022. During the occupation, the Russian military committed massive crimes against civilians: torture, executions in the streets, bullying and looting. According to official figures, 637 people were killed in Bucha, one in six residents.
Yevhen “Tykhyi”, a member of the Defense Forces, took part in the liberation of Kyiv region and remembers those events well. In an exclusive commentary for "Komersant Ukrainian", he spoke about the escape of the occupiers and the heroism of Ukrainians.
“The Russians were really running away. Perhaps they were ordered to retreat because they did not even have time to take the loot – valuables, jewelry. It was clear that they had already prepared something, but they didn’t have time. The doors of the houses were broken down in a barbaric way – just with a sledgehammer. One guy was sitting in the apartment all day, keeping watch, and heard the Russians trying to break into people’s homes, but he could do nothing.” – Yevhen “Tykhyi”
According to the military, the occupiers’ flight turned into a chaotic retreat. He says that at first they walked around the city proudly and brazenly, but with the appearance of the Ukrainian Defense Forces, everything changed.
“When our guys, our snipers, got down to business, the katsaps started to move on the run, trying not to show their faces. The fierce resistance of Ukrainians also helped us. People who were under occupation were constantly passing information to the military, creating self-help groups, sharing everything they had with our soldiers.” – Yevhen “Tykhyi”
Our military was equally impressed by the inscription on one of the buildings in Russian “Who allowed you to live so well” left by the Russian invaders during the occupation, which reflects their envy, hatred and imperial attitude towards Ukrainians. After all, the Russian military, brought up on propaganda about the “impoverishment of Ukraine,” saw the real standard of living of Ukrainians and were outraged that independent Ukraine lives better than many regions of Russia.
(photo generated by AI)
This inscription is a symbol of how the Russian army perceives Ukraine – not as an independent state, but as a territory to be conquered and destroyed.
The tragedy in Bucha: facts and figures
Today, Bucha has returned to life, but its residents will never forget those terrible days of occupation. International organizations have recognized the events in the town as a war crime, and Ukraine continues to work to bring all those responsible for these atrocities to justice. Bucha was under occupation for 33 days. The Russian military entered Bucha on the morning of February 27 with heavy equipment. On the same day, a rocket hit a residential building, and Mayor Anatoliy Fedoruk reported the first deaths.
Mass executions and torture: Most of the bodies (about 40) were found on Yablunska Street, where the occupiers set up a base. More than 100 people were kept in the basements there, tortured and killed.
Key dates of the killings:
- march 3-5 – 137 killed, including captured terrorists, volunteer Zhanna Kameneva, and Iryna Filkina (a woman with a red manicure).
- february 27 – 25 killed during the battle on Vokzalna Street.
Victims of the occupation: During the 28 days of the Russian occupation, 381 people died in Bucha, 554 in the Bucha community, and about 1200 in the Bucha district (including Irpin, Borodyanka, and Hostomel).
The Bucha massacre: After the de-occupation, dozens of executed civilians were found on the streets – with bicycles, bags, keys, often with their hands tied. Many bodies were found in basements and mass graves, one of which contained almost 300 victims. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy presented Pope Francis with the painting “The Bucha Massacre: Marichka’s Story” to once again draw the world’s attention to the atrocities suffered by the Ukrainian people.
Famine and disease: People died not only from bullets, but also from lack of medicine and food. There were cases of deaths from starvation.
Investigation of crimes: AR journalists created a 3D reconstruction of the events, proving that the occupiers first hunted for Ukrainians according to lists and then killed them arbitrarily.
The liberation of Bucha was an important milestone in the war, which confirmed the cruelty and atrocities committed by Russian troops. After the Russian troops left the city, the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine officially announced the liberation of all settlements in the Kyiv region. However, journalists and the Ukrainian military have since uncovered numerous facts of mass killings of civilians. The streets of Bucha were littered with bodies, some of which had their hands tied behind their backs, in gross violation of international humanitarian law.
These facts became the basis for an international investigation, in which Ukraine actively participated, calling on the international community to support the investigation of the killings. The International Criminal Court and other international organizations have begun to examine the crimes committed in Bucha. The ICC Prosecutor Kareem Khan personally visited the city on April 14, 2022, emphasizing the importance of bringing the perpetrators to justice.
The exhumation of the bodies, which began on April 8, 2022, helped to establish the identity of the victims and the circumstances of their deaths. At the same time, satellite imagery provided by the American company Maxar Technologies confirmed the presence of a mass grave in Bucha as early as March 10, proving the continued presence of Russian troops in the area before the official withdrawal.
Law enforcement officers recorded more than 9,000 war crimes committed by the Russian army during the occupation of Bucha. More than 1,700 civilians were killed, and in 2022 alone, 91 Russian soldiers involved in these crimes were identified. The Ukrainian Armed Forces reported that they had killed several soldiers who were directly involved in the torture of civilians.
The liberation of Bucha has become a symbol of the struggle for justice and truth, as well as another proof of the atrocities committed by the aggressor on Ukrainian soil.
