War in Ukraine: No quick return to normal for Bucha marked
Written byTimes Magazine
At the foot of a residential building in Bucha, a cutting sound echoed through the empty community garden.
A blackened cauldron simmered in one of the open fire doors, blowing a cloud of steam into the bitter air. This place is supposed to be buzzing with life and noise, with chattering children playing and climbing above the jungle gym that dominates the square.
But since Russia came, everything has changed here. Most people have fled and have not returned. But, then, only a tiny, tough group was trying to pave the way for others to return.
Sergei and his wife arrived at their apartment five days ago. Now he and his neighbors are trying to rebuild their damaged house and clear the rubble of countless Russian shells.
"You always wanted to go home," he told me. "So we took our first chance to come back. And we take the opportunity to make sure all property is safe, even from locals who might come and steal something.
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Sergei led me to an open grave in the shadow of his building. Then, just a few steps, we fell into a deep channel the Russian tank had dug in the mud as it rolled over. Here lies Sergei's neighbor, who was killed while trying to photograph them.
His name and date of death were engraved on a wooden pallet, a crude, makeshift tombstone. When Sergei returns home, one of the first things he wants to do is finally bury him with dignity.
It's not certain
In just a few weeks, the locals of Bucha got used to death.
Denis Davidov lived in the city during the occupation. When Russia is pulled out, he ventures back into the street and is confronted with a terrifying vision. Many people worldwide have seen photos and videos of corpses strewn on the ground in Bucha.
"When I arrived, I saw a street with the bodies. I just walked around them, and they were everywhere. I'm not scared, but it's intense.
As the world condemned what it saw, Russia said the news was fake, and the bodies were planted after its troops left. But Dennis survived and didn't see him.
"Some of the bodies lay there for so long that you could see their bodies covered in sand and dirt after the rain. Eventually, I realized that I knew some of the people who had been killed."
Bucha's people are still working their way through the devastation they witnessed. But they weren't sure. So far, more than 3,000 clothes have been found in the Kyiv region.
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