Russia-Ukraine war: The Russia-Ukraine war has ravaged vast swathes of areas in the country since the Russian invasion began in February 2022, leaving millions of Ukrainians homeless and forcing ordinary citizens to become defenders of their homeland to thwart the invading Russian army and prevent them from committing war crimes.
One prominent example of citizen defenders which has grabbed global attention in recent times is the rise of the “Bucha Witches”– an all-women group of volunteers who emerged in Bucha suburb of Kyiv after purported war crimes by Russian forces in the town.
Who are the Bucha Witches?
The ‘Bucha Witches’, Ukraine’s first all-women air defense unit tasked with gunning down Russian drones, is formed of women, most of whom have suffered deep personal losses in the Russia-Ukraine war.
The women volunteers come from the Bucha suburb in Ukrainian capital Kyiv, which has reportedly been the earliest epicenter of purported Russian war crimes in the Russia-Ukraine war. According to reports, Russian soldiers allegedly killed over 450 civilians, ncluding men, women, and children, during its 33-day occupation of Bucha, and subjected thousands others to torture, rape, and robbery.
The aftermath of Russia’s horrendous war crimes prompted women of Bucha to step forward to form “Witches of Bucha”, Ukraine’s first all-women air defense unit, as they vowed to protect their families and homes in wake of the invasion.
The ‘Bucha Witches’ is comprised of women of all ages, some as young as 19, and some over 60 years of age, and is tasked with taking down Russian drones, especially the Iranian-made Shahed and Russian Geran drones. None of the members of the unit are professional soldiers but in recent years, many of them have signed for service in the Ukrainian military.
“My mum is happy that I found myself. And I did find myself here. Found friends, colleagues, brothers, and sisters. We have one heart for all. We have one purpose – to speed up the victory and invest in the victory any way we can,” Al Jazeera quoted 51-year-old Valentyna, a prominent members of the Bucha Witches as saying.
Valentyna, a mother of three, is one of the nearly 100 women of the brave unit that takes on killer drones deployed by Moscow.
Who trains the Bucha Witches?
Notably, none of the women in the group had any prior military training, which is why they are put through a grueling training regimen in ‘Mordor’, a place named after dark lord Sauron’s evil realm in J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings universe.
The women volunteers are trained by battle-hardened army veterans who yell commands and push them to their physical and mental limits. “Move your a** from the tree!” or “I shot you. You’re f****** dead!” the instructors bark during training drills, according to Al Jazeera.
Colonel Andriy Verlaty, one of the instructors who trains the Bucha Witches notes; “When you put on a uniform, you’re not a woman or a man. You’re a defender.” The veteran army man believes that many of the of the women are just as capable — if not more so — than men in fulfilling their military duties. “They even manage to wax their assault rifles,” he says with a smirk.
According to the report, the volunteers train with a 20th century Maxim M1910 machine guns, now repurposed to shoot down drones flying at speeds of up to 150 kilometers per hour, often filled with up to 50 kg (110 lb) of explosives, and are dangerous and difficult to destroy as they fly in swarms.
“The drones are scary, very scary,” Valentyna says.
What motivates the Bucha Witches?
The enlisting of women in Ukrainian armed forces have significantly surged since the Russia-Ukraine war broke out in February 2022, with official records showing that around 65,000 women are currently serving, including 4,000 in combat roles.
The Bucha witches are a part of this surging trend where women, many of whom are mothers, professionals, and war survivors, are stepping forward to defend their homes from a hostile force.
“I was worried. I’ve never touched a gun before,” admits Kateryna, an art gallery owner from Kyiv, who initially hesitated before joining. But like many of her peers, she was quick to adapt to the new reality and stepped up to defend her homeland.
Natalya, a mother who fled Bucha with her children during the initial Russian invasion, but has returned to avenge the carnage, says “It’s better to take part than to watch from the sidelines”.
“My goal is to keep people safe and allow them to sleep peacefully,” says Olena, another volunteer who comes from a family with deep military roots.
While motivations vary from one volunteer to the other, one common motivation driving the Bucha Witches is their iron will to defend their home at any cost.
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