Russia

As Bucha emerges from the horror of the Russian occupation, townspeople are desperate to know the fate of loved ones.
Some know how their story ends.
Others still wait to find out, hoping against hope it will not end in tragedy.Tetiana Ustymenko knows the conclusion to her story.
Her son and his two friends were gunned down in the street outside and she buried them in the garden of the family home.Oleh Onyshchenko is searching for two family members.
He arrives on a windswept plain where 50 body bags are laid out on the ground.His relatives are burnt beyond recognition, he thinks, though a wedding ring may prove a clue to end the mystery of their final moments.Oleksandr Kovtun still has hope.
His son is missing but perhaps, he reasons, the Russians abducted them as they retreated.Bucha a commuter town on Kyiv's doorstep was occupied by Russian forces in the early days of the invasion.The horrors left behind after their withdrawal last week are slowly being uncovered.Garden burialThere is a black sash draped across one door on Kyiv-Myrotska Street.
Out front a car riddled with gunfire has a pool of clotted blood in the passenger seat.
There are three bodies in the back garden.Ustymenko, 65, says she put her son Serhii and his friends Nastia and Maksym here on March 4.Serhii, 25, offered to evacuate her but she was reluctant it was too dangerous.
Without her knowledge he came anyway."I heard shooting but I was sure he wasn't there," she said."Then the phone turned on.
I said, 'Son, son?', and a neighbor told me a car was shot in front of him.
He said my son is gone."Maksymwas shot in the forehead by a sniper through the windscreen, she said.
Nastia was shot in the legs.
Serhii was shot in the back.They lay in the open for three days before Tetiana's husband Valerii washed and dressed the bodies and dug a simple grave with the neighbors' help.It is at the bottom of the garden past daffodils.
There is one mound in the sandy earth, but each body is marked by a sprig of conifer.
On top is the metal blade of a broken snow shovel.The year before last Serhii snapped it, prompting a squabble with his mother.
"I put this here to say 'Forgive me son'," she said.
"I want him to forgive me for arguing with him for nothing.""How can I live now?"Searching body bagsOnyshchenko arrives to inspect the bodies of Bucha's war dead at the cemetery.
There are around 50, some stacked on top of each other, others lie side by side on the ground in crumpled black body bags.A gaggle of police officers is poring over paperwork, writing preliminary reports to identify the corpses.Every few minutes they unzip a new bag.
In one, a woman's arms lie tangled across her lifeless face.
In another, rigor mortis gives the impression of a man standing to attention.Some contain only body parts, scorched and severed.Onyshchenko, 49, hangs back.
In his pocket are photocopies of the ID card of his sister-in-law Tamila, and the birth certificate of her 14-year-old daughter Anna.They left Bucha in a borrowed car but the owner later saw a video of it ablaze in the street.He has come to look for distinctive jewelry, to identify what remains of the mother and daughter.A police officer tucks a handwritten note into one gaping body bag.
"Bucha, man, approximately 30-years-old," it reads.
"Eyes open.
Bodily injuries on the left side of the abdomen, on the neck and hands.""A month ago no-one could imagine something like this was possible," says Onyshchenko.Continuing hopeKovtun's 19-year-old son Oleksii is missing.
"He went into the city and did not come back."The 58-year-old now clings to the hope he might have been taken by the Russians.Another young man from their street is rumored to have been taken captive in Russia.
Maybe this was the fate of his boy too."My son knew him," he says.
"There's no other hope for us."On Saturday the bodies of 20 people dressed in civilian clothing were found strewn along a single Bucha street.On Sunday a city official said 57 civilians had been buried in a mass grave by their neighbors.The register of the dead grows day by day."We asked around about him, talked with a woman who deals with such cases," said Kovtun."We hope he is not on those lists."





Unlimited Portal Access + Monthly Magazine - 12 issues


Contribute US to Start Broadcasting - It's Voluntary!


ADVERTISE


Merchandise (Peace Series)

 


[Russia] - Interior Ministry Issues Arrest Warrant for Rapper Face


‘A Revolution in Drone Warfare’: As Russian Fiber-Optic Drones Flood the Battlefield, Ukraine Scrambles to Catch Up


U.K. Sanctions Russian GRU Agents Over Cyber Attacks and Hybrid Threats


[Russia] - Gelendzhik Airport Welcomes First Commercial Flight Since Closure in 2022


Russian Tech Executive Arrested in Absentia on Bribery Charges


Russian-American Woman Arrested at Moscow Airport for Smuggling Handgun


[Russia] - District Attorneys Seek 13-Year Sentence for Activist in Bashkortostan Over Navalny Ties


North Korea Bars Foreign Tourists From New Resort After Lavrov Visit


[Russia] - Ex-State Television Anchor Jailed 8 Years in Absentia for 'War Fakes' and 'Justifying Terrorism'


[Russia] - Oil Spill in Siberia's Yenisei River Causes $15M in Damages, Officials Say


EU Approves 18th Round of Sanctions Against Russia


[Russia] - Russian Billionaire's Superyacht Receives Clearance to Cruise Arctic Waters


[Russia] - Telegram Begins Legal Process of Opening Office in Russia


[Russia] - NATO Moves to Accelerate Patriot Missile System Deliveries to Ukraine


Senior Defense Official Jailed 6 Years Over Russian Military Theme Park Fraud


[Russia] - Russians Turn to U.S. Visas as Interest in Europe and China Wanes


Russia’s Largest Banks Exploring Bailouts as Bad Loans Grow – Bloomberg


European Satellites Are Fair Game for Jamming Over Ukraine War, Russia Says


[Russia] - Draft Law Would Grant Putin New Powers to Block Departed Foreign Companies From Returning


Russia Revokes Citizenship of Azerbaijani-Born MMA Fighter Amid Diplomatic Spat


Russia to Launch Vessel Inspections at Baltic Ports After Series of Explosions


[Russia] - 'Give Me a Choice': Activists Urge Russian Doctors to Defend Women's Right to Abortion


[Russia] - Russian Envoy Warns of Military Response if Greenland Conflict Erupts


Russia Returns 1K Bodies of Killed Ukrainian Soldiers


Pro-Kremlin Figures Decry Bill Criminalizing Access to ‘Extremist’ Content


Ukrainian Drone Attacks on Russia Kill At Least 2


Russia Quietly Cancels Flagship Arms Expo – Reports


[Russia] - Russia Launches Hundreds of Drones at Ukraine, Defying Trump's Peace Ultimatum


[Russia] - Russia Expands Free Public Wi-Fi as Mobile Internet Blackouts Spread


Environmental Experts and Russia’s Human Rights Chief Urge Lawmakers to Reject Baikal Logging Bill


[Russia] - Russian Customs Authorities Seize $153M Worth of Cocaine Hidden in Banana Shipment


So You Want to Travel to Russia. Here’s What You Should Know.


[Russia] - EU Delays 18th Sanctions Package Against Russia Amid Slovak Objections


Ukrainian Drone Strike in Belgorod Region Kills Man


[Russia] - State Prosecutors Seek to Seize Latvian Co-Owner's Stake in Bread Bakery Over 'Extremism' Claims


[Russia] - Russia Moves to Streamline Process for Labeling Groups as 'Extremist'


Floods Prompt Evacuations in Earth’s Coldest Inhabited Settlements


[Russia] - Russian POWs' Families Accuse Moscow of Redeploying Their Loved Ones After Prisoner Swaps


[Russia] - Top Russian University Launches Master's Program on Sanctions Circumvention


[Russia] - Latvian Court Overturns License Revocation of Exiled Russian Television Channel Dozhd


[Russia] - 5 Killed in Helicopter Crash in Russia's Far East


Rostov Police to Be Reimbursed for Refusing Bribes in ‘Anti-Corruption’ Effort


Russian Parliament Approves Return of State-Backed Microlenders to Mortgage Market


China Pledges Closer Ties With Russia After Trump’s Sanctions Threat


[Russia] - Russia Moves to Centralize Mobile Internet Shutdowns Amid Rise in Ukrainian Drone Attacks


Italy’s Culture Minister Slams Concert Invite for Pro-Kremlin Conductor


[Russia] - Heavy Rain Triggers Flash Floods Across Moscow


[Russia] - American Who Helped Russian Forces in Ukraine Receives Russian Citizenship


[Russia] - 'We Don't Care': Russian Officials, Media React to Trump's Ukraine War Ultimatum


[Russia] - Russian Stock Market Rises After Trump Sets Ukraine Peace Deal Deadline


Ukrainian Drone Strikes on Voronezh Injure At Least 22 People


[Russia] - Kremlin to Expand Soft Power Push With Cultural Outposts in Gulf States


Trump Gives Russia 50 Days to Resolve Ukraine War


Lightning Strike Kills 3 People at Tula Region Resort


‘My Homeland Is a Country Within a Country’: Avar Activist Zarema Gasanova


Russian Airports to Begin Rollout of AI-Powered Security Systems


Military Court Jails Exiled Writer Boris Akunin 14 Years in Absentia


EU Moves Toward Floating Price Cap for Russian Oil


Son of Rostec Executive Detained in Spain on Money Laundering Charges – OCCRP


Russia’s Spy Agency Accuses NATO of Dragging Moldova Into Conflict


Russia Builds Protective Bunkers at Airbases After Ukraine's 'Spider's Web' Drone Strikes


Chechen Woman Who Fled Abusive Family Briefly Detained in Georgia, Activists Say


Russian Workers at Turkish Nuclear Plant Report Months of Unpaid Wages


China’s Foreign Minister Praises Ties With Russia During Lavrov Visit


Russia-China Trade Falls 9% in First Half of 2025


Ukraine Says It Killed Russian Agents Behind Intelligence Officer’s Assassination


Russia Slams Report It Backed ‘Zero Enrichment’ Iran Nuclear Deal


Russia Claims New Village in Ukraine’s Donetsk Region


[Russia] - Moscow Blames Sanctions for Russia-UN Food Deal Collapse


[Russia] - Russia Says Foreign Minister Lavrov Met Kim Jong Un


[Russia] - Ukraine Says 6 Killed in Massive Russian Drone, Missile Attack


[Russia] - Conference Seeks Solidarity Among Indigenous Peoples of Russia, Ukraine and Central Asia


Russia and Belarus to Develop AI Rooted in 'Traditional Values'


[Russia] - Russia's FM Lavrov Arrives in North Korea


Russia Orders Closure of Polish Consulate in Kaliningrad


[Russia] - Elite Russian Marine Unit Commander Reportedly Killed in Ukrainian Missile Strike


Russia Nationalizes Country’s Third-Largest Gold Producer


[Russia] - Russia Weighs Scrapping Its Only Aircraft Carrier After Years of Restoration Delays


Border Defense Fraud Probe Targets Belgorod Region Officials – Kommersant


[Russia] - Dutch Court Sentences Russian to 3 Years for Sharing Microchip Technology


Peskov Defends Russia’s Media Crackdown as Part of ‘Information War’


[Russia] - Starovoit Buried at Historic St. Petersburg Cemetery Days After Suspected Suicide


[Russia] - Ukrainian Attacks on Western Russia Kill At Least 3


[Russia] - Russian Military Personnel Costs Hit Record High-- Analysis


[Russia] - St. Petersburg Court Drops 'LGBT Propaganda' Case Against Popular Bookstore


[Russia] - Russian Police Offered Bonuses to Recruit Detainees for Ukraine War-- Vyorstka


[Russia] - Ukrainian Attack on Belgorod Region Kills 2, Governor Says


[Russia] - Russian State Media Turns on Trump After Putin Criticism


[Russia] - Putin Skips Memorial Service for Ex-Transportation Minister, Sends Wreath Instead


[Russia] - 'We Are Being Held Without Protection': North Caucasus Women Decry Dire Conditions in Kurdish-Run Syrian Camps


[Russia] - Rubio and Lavrov Held 'Frank Exchange' on Sidelines of ASEAN Summit, Moscow Says


[Russia] - Moscow Swelters in Heat Wave After Powerful Storms Batter the City


Nizhny Novgorod Region Rolls Back Migrant Work Ban Amid Labor Shortages


[Russia] - Russian Basketball Player Arrested in France at Request of United States


Gelendzhik Airport to Reopen More Than 3 Years After Wartime Closure


[Russia] - Moscow Theatre Director Questioned in Large-Scale Embezzlement Probe


Russia Adds Entrepreneur Kidnapped at Moscow Train Station to ‘Terrorists and Extremists’ List


[Russia] - Death by Falling: A Timeline of Cases Across Russia and Abroad


[Russia] - Russia to Launch Direct Flights From Moscow to North Korean Capital on July 27


Crimean Woman Fined Over $1K for Posting Photos of Men in Wedding Dresses Online


[Russia] - Leading European Court Rules Russia Committed Rights Abuses in Ukraine, Downing of MH17


[Russia] - Rangers Kill 11 Brown Bears Lured by Food Waste in Russia's Far East


Russia Reopens Embassy in Tehran 2 Weeks After Israel-Iran Ceasefire


[Russia] - Kremlin Brushes Off Trump's 'Tough Talk' and Claims 'No Disagreement' on Ukraine Negotiations


[Russia] - Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to Visit North Korea This Weekend


[Russia] - Russian Lawmakers Greenlight Restoration of FSB-Run Prison Network


[Russia] - FSB Agents Shoot and Kill Man Accused of Planning Bridge Bombing in Saratov Region


[Russia] - Russian Military Launches Largest-Ever Air Attack on Ukraine


Ukrainian Drone Attack on Kursk City Beach Kills 4, Governor Says


[Russia] - Russian Broadcaster RTVI Starts Airing in Mali


[Russia] - Trump Accuses Putin of Talking 'Bulls ***' on Ukraine


[Russia] - Russia Plans USAID-Inspired Development Model in Bid to Extend Global Influence


FSB Accuses Ex-Independent Media Manager of Treason


Russia Blacklists Yale University as ‘Undesirable’ Organization


[Russia] - Ignore Donald Trump's 'Political Seesaw,' Russia's Medvedev Says


Russian Military Drone Crashes Into Dacha in Republic of Tatarstan


Nadezhdin Campaign Manager Stripped of Russian Citizenship


Who Was Roman Starovoit, the Sacked Transportation Minister Found Dead in Apparent Suicide