Anatoly Fedoruk: We are located in the territory of the Church of St. Andrew the First in Buca. Unfortunately, a large number of civilians were buried in the area during the occupation. They were killed by Russian occupiers. Peaceful civilians. I draw attention to that. In total, we buried 40 corpses from one grave and 57 corpses from the other. 90% of those killed have bullet holes in their bodies. This shows the purposeful killing of civilian civilians by the Russian occupiers.
A total of 412 civilians were killed in Bucha during the Russian occupation.
I repeat, they were peaceful civilians. Teachers, doctors, utilities, opinion leaders. Unfortunately, a large number of people had their hands tied, they were shot with shots in the back of the head, head or chest. The main focus was on the opinion leaders who posed a threat to the Russian soldiers, the world’s second army.
I repeat, they were peaceful civilians. Citizens of my city.
LTV: What was life like here in Buča during the occupation?
As during the occupation. At first, the Russian military made it clear to the civilian population that we were supposed to release you, but when they realized that they were not welcome here and that we did not need to be released, that we were in our own country, in our own homeland. began all these atrocities. And when they realized that they did not see Kiev (there is a saying – to see Kiev and to die – it’s about them), then all these atrocities against the civilian population began. That is how I explained it to myself, because otherwise it cannot be explained.
When the city was occupied by Russian troops, were you aware that something like this was happening here?
In fact, from the first day of the war and until its release, I was under occupation with our people. We had a population of about 3,500 to 3,700. And to say that we realized … We realized that this is a war and that everything is possible in a war. Both projectiles that fall, crushed wounds, landslides. But neither I nor any other clear-minded person could have imagined such atrocities in such large numbers.
Why did this happen? The only answer I find is that they had nothing to do with it, about the crimes they had committed in other regions before. North Caucasus, eastern Ukraine, Crimea, Syria. A tribunal must be held for all the atrocities they have committed here. Not only the perpetrators need to be tried, but also the military-political leadership that targeted the perpetrators. Gave a green light to shoot civilians. They have a mission to destroy the Ukrainian nation, the Ukrainian people as such.
I therefore demand a court from the international community. A fair trial.
After the release of Kiss, when you first came here, how did you feel?
At first I did not come here, but after my release, my friends and I went to the intersection of Vokzaļnajas and Jablinskajas streets, where the dead body lay in the middle of the street. These shots were seen all over the world. There were corpses that dogs ate to their bones. And this shows that they did not even allow the dead to be removed from the streets and sidewalks. In turn, this burial site is a scar on the heart of every Buchan resident, every Ukrainian, every human being.
That is why today we are already considering the possibility of transforming this territory into a symbol of the victory of the Ukrainian people in this war and also into a mourning symbol of what these occupiers did to my people in my city. We cannot bring back the lives of these people, but we must live for them and do everything we can to prevent this from happening again.
You weren’t worried, weren’t you afraid you might be kidnapped? There have already been many cases of abductions.
Fear was all this period. For normal, peaceful civilians, war inspires fear and terror. Of course, if they had captured me … They had such an opportunity, I almost fell into their hands, but I managed to convince them that I was not a mayor, but a utility worker, and I stayed here to look after the house.
They even had correspondence. Printed lists. With those people that would be interesting to capture, destroy. Politicians or opinion leaders. So they purposefully went to kill.
The city of Kiss, these scars … What will it take to heal them?
It is difficult to answer this question. Of course, time heals. There is a saying, but what the people of my city had to go through during the occupation, and the lives that the Russian occupiers have taken away, will be hard to forget. We will always remember that. If until February 24, somewhere in the region, in a remote village, someone could allow cooperation with our northern neighbor, today I can say with confidence that one or the other, third generation will certainly not.
We and the world have a duty to draw conclusions. Russia is a country of terrorism.
And we need to treat it appropriately.
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