“They killed 11 of my neighbors.” The story of survival in occupied Buchi

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“We will level Bucha to zero,” a Russian military man threatened local resident Svitlana Yakovenko. He also ordered to wear white bandages at all times, otherwise he would be shot. He strictly forbade leaving the yard. 44-year-old Svitlana lived with her parents under Russian occupation for two weeks. All the time – in a cold cellar. The consequences were deplorable: my mother fell ill with gangrene, and she had to have her leg amputated. In addition, Russian shells turned their house into a fire. However, the family is happy that they managed to save their lives – they say it’s a real miracle. After all, the Russians shot 11 people in four neighboring yards. “They were tortured” Bucha in the Kyiv region was occupied for 33 days: Russian tanks broke into the city center on February 27, 2022, and left it on March 31. The occupiers started shooting at civilians literally from the first minutes they entered the town. They stopped at each yard, peered through the fence, and if they saw that one of the people was looking out the window, they immediately released an automatic queue along the fence. Later, the atrocity reached its peak: the invaders entered the yards and shot the residents right in front of their relatives. “It was like this: Russians shoot one family member, another relative rushes to help the wounded, and they point a weapon at that relative and do not allow rescue. That is, they made it so that a person died right in front of his relatives. This is how they intimidated others, saying: ” Obey, because the same thing will happen to you,” says Svitlana. 4 yards – 11 people were killed. There was a family across the road: the father was a teacher, the son sang in the choir. And imagine this horror: their legs were chopped off, a wire was inserted into their throats, the bodies were burned and thrown away. They were tortured. Other neighbors nearby are retired brothers: wonderful people, they kept a farm (a goat, chickens, rabbits). The Russians also asked them to cook for them. And then they were also shot. Such was the “thank you” Those who were not shot were intimidated by the occupiers: they went into every yard and warned them not to walk in the streets, because Russian snipers would fire their bullets at them. They also checked their phones so that no one recorded their location. In addition, they moved into houses, which were empty, causing pogroms there. “The Russians drove into my neighbor’s house with a tank,” Svitlana recalls. “They broke down his fence, his car was in the yard, then they moved it with their tank and hid it under cover so it wouldn’t be seen. And later they put two more in front of us APCs”. Svitlana Yakovenko “You didn’t leave for nothing” From the first day of the war, there was a lot of noise in Buch, because the Gostomel airfield is located nearby, which the Russians tried to capture. Therefore, due to continuous shelling, the Yakovenkas immediately moved to live in a cellar. For the family, it became quite a test: after all, my mother was exhausted by a long struggle with oncology and diabetes. And Svitlana has been disabled since childhood due to problems with her spine. “It was 8 degrees in the cellar. We lived there for two weeks, and all this time we were fully clothed: in jackets, hats, shoes. The room was “heated” by a candle. We sat, hugging our hands, and shells were flying outside at that time . There was a constant noise, and it was banging with such force that the cellar door almost flew off. It was very scary.” Throughout the occupation, there was no electricity, gas, or communication in Buchi. The family prepared food on the grill in the yard together with the neighbors. The woman says that she could not wash her hands from the soot for more than a month. At the same time, there were practically no products: they ate mostly porridge on water and preserves. And the Russians looted the shops almost immediately. “Once, three Russians came to our yard – they brazenly climbed over the fence, because everything was closed in our house. They were fully armed. They checked our phones, did we take pictures of their positions or something. They asked how many of us there were. And they ordered us to hang ourselves yard with a white flag and walk with white armbands. This was supposed to mean that we did not wish them harm. We were warned: if we did not do this, they might be shot. So we wrapped both of our hands with those white armbands, and even our heads, so that it was visible from all sides. And they didn’t take them off even at night, because we slept with our clothes on and shoes on,” says Svitlana. At the same time, the Russians did not tire of threatening. They said to the Yakovenkos: “We are comparing Bucha to zero. Soon it will be very hot here, and you did not leave for nothing.” Therefore, the family began to look for ways to evacuate from their hometown. And on the morning of March 10, they learned that they should give a green corridor. So we gathered in a hurry in 20 minutes: we grabbed some food, my mother’s medicine, documents and the cat. The car was tied with pieces of a white sheet and they left in whatever they were dressed in. The family’s house after the shelling of the Russians “We were lucky, and they really let us out. But the convoy that tried to leave on March 8-9 was shot. Even volunteers and even cars with the words “Children” on them. And when we drove, all of them they saw shot cars. It was a horror. The whole road was very badly beaten, strewn with glass and metal. At the same time, shot people remained in the shot cars, dead. Some were burnt, some were covered in blood. The convoy was also shot on March 11,” Svitlana recalls . “The leg was cut off above the knee” Having miraculously survived, the Yakoven women headed to the Khmelnytskyi region: they saw on Facebook that a girl was offering a house in the village for free for displaced people. The same messages can be found on the “Shelter” website. Everyone who wants to shelter an IDP posts a relevant ad there. Everyone who is looking for housing can do the same. “Having settled in a new place, we first of all tried to restore our lost strength. After two weeks of living in the cellar, we were completely exhausted. I lost more than 5 kilograms – imagine what it is like, with my already small weight of 48 kilograms. All my parents’ clothes also flew off. Even on the way from Buchi, my father was driving, and his hands were numb because he wanted to eat. And we had about 10 gingerbread, that’s all the food, – recalls Svitlana. But she suffered the most of all my mother is diabetic, and due to poor blood circulation, gangrene started on her left leg. It was manifested by blue toes and heel. We tried everything to treat it, but nothing helped. It became clear that amputation was necessary. However, the doctors were afraid that an elderly woman may simply not wake up after the operation. How the poor mother suffered all this time: the leg simply rotted, and these wounds gave terrible pain… Mom was operated on in July – her leg was amputated above the knee. Now mom needs a prosthesis to get up from the wheelchair zka It should be a knee mechanism, that is, a modular structure, the cost of which can reach several hundred thousand hryvnias.” Svitlana’s mother after amputation. In addition, the Yakovenkos need to build a house to have a place to live. Because their house was completely bombed by the Russians. And now the family lives in a tiny summer kitchen, where there is not even heating. “We returned to Buchi on May 12. We arrived and saw a terrifying picture: our house is gone, it is completely destroyed – no roof, no walls, nothing. Only a few structures remained, but with every breath of wind, bricks literally flew from them. So the commission ordered everything to be dismantled urgently, because it was dangerous to even walk next to it, – the woman sobs. It was a big brand new two-story house, we had been building it all our lives. They did everything to make my retired parents and me, who have been disabled since childhood, live comfortably: they installed a heated floor, a hydromassage bath, beautiful furniture… And now only the foundation of our house remains. As the occupier said that it would be “zero”, so it turned out – my house really is “zero”. In order to raise funds for mother’s recovery and at least a small house, the family saves on everything possible. However, it is almost impossible to collect the necessary amount for pensioners and a woman with a disability. “About 5,000 hryvnias are spent a month just on medicine for my mother. And when it’s time to do the next examination, it reaches 10,000. Life has completely gone awry, we are not living now, but every minute we are fighting for life,” Svitlana wipes away her tears. – So I will be infinitely grateful to everyone for any help. Anyone who wants to can help with details: 5457 0822 3747 2316 (Privatbank, Yakovenko Svitlana), PayPal: [email protected].” *** On the “Shelter” website, caring Ukrainians can offer housing for displaced persons by placing a corresponding ad. Therefore, IDPs can find temporary shelter in any region of Ukraine or abroad, for a few days or for a longer period. The filter system will help you easily choose the option that meets your criteria and quickly contact the owner. This is a completely volunteer initiative. It was launched on the first day of the full-scale invasion by People’s Deputy of Ukraine Halyna Yanchenko. Later, the “Shelter” program received state support. Homeowners who sheltered displaced persons receive compensation from the state for the payment of communal services – 900 hryvnias per person per month. Now there are about 16,000 ads on the site. The page has been translated into 40 languages. Victoria Yarizhko, specially for UP. Life

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