Lifeless bodies strewn around the streets. Several with tied hands. One with the bike overturned. Corpses collected in mass graves.
Pictures and testimonies of cruel executions and torture in Butsja, carried out by Russian forces, have shocked the world.
More than 340 bodies are said to have been retrieved from the Kyiv suburb, where fierce fighting has been going on since day one.
Lieutenant General Arne Bård Dalhaug is a former head of department for defense policy and long-term planning, chief of the Defense Staff, and Norway’s representative in NATO’s military committee.
KILLED MAN: Tanya Nedashkivska mourns the man Vasyl who was killed by Russian forces. – He was tortured, says the Busja woman about the man who served in the Ukrainian navy. Photo: Reuters / Zohra Bensemra
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He is not surprised by what has emerged after the Russians withdrew from the area.
– There is nothing new in this when we talk about Russian warfare. They do not take into account the civilian population. On the contrary, it is in their doctrine that they should terrorize civilians in order to influence the opponent, says Dalhaug to Dagbladet.
He refers to the Russians’ conduct in Chechnya, Afghanistan and Syria, which have obvious similarities with parts of the war in Ukraine.
KILLED: A man in civilian clothes lies dead with his hands tied behind his back. The man in the background prepares the body bag he is to be transported away in. Photo: Sergei Supinsky / AFP / NTB
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Ukraine names individual soldiers
Much is still unclear about what has happened in Butsja recently. According to Attorney General Iryna Venediktova, 140 bodies have been examined. Several witnesses are currently unable to explain what they have experienced.
The attacks were according to Forbes led by the Russian 29th, 35th and 36th armies. Several special forces are also said to have been involved. according to Reuters Ramzan Kadyrov’s Chechen soldiers are said to have controlled the area.
The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense has published a list of personnel from the 35th Army, who are said to be directly involved in war crimes in Butsja.
“All war criminals will be investigated and prosecuted for crimes against Ukraine’s civilian population,” the ministry said in a statement.
Ready has not yet been verified.
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The armies that are supposed to have led the attacks consist of combined forces – including infantry forces, mechanized forces and tank forces.
They are described as poorly managed, poorly equipped and poorly maintained.
As with a number of Russian units, the number of conscripts has been surprisingly high. The assumptions about a high degree of professional soldiers have proven to be untenable. That probably explains some of the problems with bad morals and poor management, says Dalhaug.
He refers to intercepted communications that have revealed a “very chaotic” management in the area. Even the elements of trained special forces did not contribute to significant results.
Big losses on the Russian side
The fighting in the area started on day one. The Hostomel military airport, located in Butsja, was one of the Russians’ first destinations.
Since then, Russian artillery has bombed several places in the city. Several residents lost access to water, gas and electricity. Destroyed infrastructure complicated the supply of humanitarian aid and the evacuation of residents.
Author Oleksandr Mykhed, who got out of the neighboring town of Hostomel early, has previously described to Dagbladet how several of his closest neighbors were brutally killed in their own homes.
The losses have also been large on the Russian side. Many were killed already in the initial battles. Major General Andrei Kolesnikov, who led the 29th Army, is said to have been killed by Ukrainian forces on March 11.
– The Russians have generally had a high loss of officers of a high degree. Several generals have been killed in the area, and quite a few colonels. It is quite unusual for these to be killed in battle, says Dalhaug.
He believes this is related to a need to send generals to “stiffen up” the front. It is common in the Russian military, but not seen through NATO eyes.
– What does the loss of senior officers do to the combatants?
– It obviously affects morale negatively. It also affects the management and coordination hard, says Dalhaug.
KILLED BY RUSSIAN SOLDIERS: According to witnesses in Butsja, this woman was killed by Russian soldiers. Photo: Zohra Bensemra / Reuters
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Calls for strong sanctions
It was last week that Russia’s defense leadership announced that it would “drastically” reduce attacks on the northern cities of Kyiv and Chernihiv and focus on the “liberation” of the Donbas.
The lieutenant general believes it is clear that the withdrawal came suddenly to the forces in the area.
– I’m pretty sure they were not prepared to have to retire. They were sure that they would be able to stay in the area. There are signs that they panicked, when we see the equipment that has been left behind, and know that smaller units have been captured, he says.
He thinks this is much of the explanation behind the scenes we now see from the usually quiet suburban area. There are apparently few attempts to hide traces.
Ukraine has accused Russian forces of premeditated massacres, and has sent a formal request to the International Criminal Court to send people to Butsja to gather evidence. The UN believes the mass graves raise serious questions about genocide. Russia, for its part, categorically denies the allegations, claiming that the images were staged.
EU Foreign Minister Josep Borrell announced on Monday morning that the union is urgently considering new sanctions against the Kremlin. Lieutenant General Dalhaug believes it is clear that the level of sanctions must be raised sharply.
– This will make it easier to sanction and maintain the sanctions. Even cessation of gas imports can be considered now, in addition to the supply of new weapon systems. It is difficult to imagine anything else when you see what has happened.
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