Ukraine’s 'Witches of Bucha' prepare for combat as the specter of a Russian peace deal looms
In a snow-covered forest outside Kyiv, the “Witches of Bucha” are training to defend their capital, a city under constant bombardment from Russian missiles and drones.
KYIV, Ukraine — In a snow-covered forest outside Kyiv, the “Witches of Bucha” are training to defend their city from a constant bombardment of Russian missiles and drones.
The volunteer civil defense force, which is 90% women, is primarily tasked with defending the skies, shooting down the Iran-made Shahed drones that arrive nearly every night.
Most of the women come from Bucha, the city outside of Kyiv that was occupied by Russian forces in the early weeks of the war and where some of the worst atrocities of the invasion took place, including the execution of civilians in the street.
Tetyana said that her husband and brother have both been killed in the war, and that her nephew in the army has been reported missing.
“My whole word was destroyed,” said Tetyana, 41, who, in keeping with Ukrainian military protocol, declined to give her last name. Volunteering with the group gives her an outlet to channel her rage, she said.
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