Another suburb of the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, has been liberated from Russian control amid significant setbacks for Vladimir Putin’s forces following their invasion of Ukraine. The newly freed jurisdiction is Bucha, whose mayor, Anatoliy Fedoruk, shared the news. As Fedoruk commented:
‘March 31 will go down in the history of our Bucha community as the Day of Liberation. The liberation by our Armed Forces of Ukraine from Russian orcs, from Russian occupiers. So today, I state that this day is joyful. Joyful and this is a great victory in Kyiv region! And we will definitely wait so that there is a great victory all over Ukraine.’
⚡️ Bucha liberated by Ukraine, says mayor.
“March 31 will go down in the history of our town,” said Mayor Anatolii Fedoruk.
He thanked Ukraine’s Armed Forces for liberating the city from Russian troops. The city was occupied by Russia since Feb. 27.
— The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) April 1, 2022
According to a separate report from the Ukrainian government information outlet known as Ukrinform, Russian personnel mined civilian buildings on their way out of Bucha, which had apparently been under Russian control since late February, shortly after the war in Ukraine began. According to what would appear to be the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, “When leaving the city of Bucha, the Russian invaders mined civilian buildings, infrastructure and areas within the settlement.” The liberation of Bucha from Russian occupation follows the recent freeing of the nearby jurisdiction of Irpin — where hundreds of civilians are believed to have died, according to that town’s mayor. When sharing news of his town’s liberation, Irpin Mayor Oleksandr Markushyn said, “We gain a foothold on our new frontiers and will continue to advance and liberate Bucha, Hostomel, Vorzel” — so that laid out course of action is turning out in the Ukrainians’ favor, as Markushyn said it would.
The city of Bucha (Kyiv Oblast) is under the control by the Ukrainian army — though it has not yet been cleared, and it is dangerous for civilians to be there.
Bucha became one of the main battlefields in the battle for Kyiv
— Hromadske Int. (@Hromadske) April 1, 2022
Bucha is on the smaller side — its population is apparently around 37,000. Details on the casualties sustained by civilians and military members there weren’t included in certain initial reports of the Ukrainian victory, although Markushyn (the mayor of nearby Irpin) recently stated that half of his city “and its critical infrastructure has been destroyed and the rubble has not been cleared yet,” so a similar scope of destruction could likely be expected for Bucha. The Centre for Strategic Communications and Information Security in the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine shared what it called the “[first] shocking videos… from Bucha after Russian forces retreated. Bodies left lying in the street; absolute destruction. This was a prosperous suburb just over a month ago.”
Ukraine has recaptured the town of Bucha near the capital of Kyiv Thursday, according to Bucha's Mayor Anatolii Fedoruk. And other towns in Kyiv suburbs are being retaken by Ukrainian army and volunteers. Let's pray this is going to finish soon
— Iuliia Mendel (@IuliiaMendel) April 1, 2022
Relatedly, Markushyn also asked residents not to return to Irpin as clean-up operations and military stand-offs with Russians continue, so something similar would no doubt also apply to Bucha. Despite recent statements from Russian leadership regarding alleged plans to decrease hostilities around Kyiv and Chernihiv, any such step isn’t simply something the Russians are undertaking of their own accord — rather, Putin’s invaders have sustained substantial strategic setbacks. Russian troop movements seem poised to be re-positionings rather than withdrawals — a Ukrinform report from Friday, citing Ukrainian military personnel, said Russian forces were “focused on continuing the assault on the Ukrainian port city of Mariupol,” where the death toll is believed to be around 5,000.
⚡️Half of Irpin destroyed as a result of Russian attacks.
Mayor of Irpin Oleksander Markushyn said in a televised broadcast on March 29 that “50% of the city and its critical infrastructure has been destroyed and the rubble has not been cleared yet.”
— The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) March 31, 2022
As Ukrainian presidential adviser Oleksiy Arestovych explained his country’s push this Friday: “In the Kyiv direction, the enemy is conducting a partial rotation with the withdrawal of troops and their probable relocation to the area of the Joint Forces Operation. But they are not fully able to hold the areas they would like to hold to ensure this rotation. Our troops are driving them out, both in the northwest and in the northeast, sending them away from Kyiv, making it almost impossible for them to storm Kyiv again. We are liberating our lands. We are driving the enemy away.” None of these details mean, however — as Arestovych’s comments don’t contradict — that atrocities in Ukraine are continuing. As the press service of Ukraine’s National Police explained, “The humanitarian situation in Chernihiv remains extremely difficult. The citizens heroically hold the line and have been living without water, electricity, heat supply and other critical communications for more than two weeks.” Those comments were circulated by Ukrinform on Friday.
Deadly sweets.
The Russians have placed mines in a
confectionery factory in Bucha, Kyiv suburb and poisoned its products.— Iuliia Mendel (@IuliiaMendel) April 1, 2022
