Butchers of Bucha? That’s one ignoble tag retreating Russian troops may well earn, if their alleged war crimes are proven.
The Mayor of Bucha, in the region of Kyiv the Ukraine capital, accused Russian troops of killing defenseless civilians, while scrambling from the firepower of counter-attacking Ukraine troops.
The mayor told Al-Jazeera that Russian troops killed no less than 22 civilians: their bodies a macabre litter of the streets. One was felled on his get-away bicycle, a gory video showed. A few others, with hands tightly tied to their backs, were despatched to the great beyond, in apparent horror killing.
Russian soldiers themselves suffered great casualties, with bodies of luckless troops strewn in mangled tanks and trucks. It all portrayed the lunacy of war. Yet, Man feels inexorably drawn to that doom.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the Ukrainian president, also claimed cruel Russian soldiers, under heavy fire from the Ukraine Army driving the Russians from the Kyiv region, freely planted mines in their retreat.
An account said as the Russians unleashed heavy artillery fire to hide their retreat, they also laid free mines in the path of their pursuers — to hobble them, slow them down and keep the Russians safe in their troubled get-away.
While that might have made sound military tactics, the Ukraine Army warned civilians: keep clear until we clear the areas of all mines. Indeed, another video on Al Jazeera showed mines allegedly hidden in cars, with looted electronics — and even hand phones!
The way the 50-day war is turning out, the modern-day David still slays Goliath! The Russians, masters of the skies, turned bombarded Ukraine into ash, many of their victims hapless, defenseless civilians.
But then, the bullies of the skies turned sudden sissies on the ground, when matched with fierce Ukraine resistance: the ground troops seizing and destroying heavy Russian tanks; and making a cannon fodder of the hitherto formidable Russian Army.
Russia apparently is abandoning its campaign to seize Kyiv and plant a puppet regime in there to supplant the Zelenskyy order — a clear pipe dream.
Ukraine, on the other hand, is screaming “liberation!” Zelenskyy forces are putting their mightier enemy on the run, as Russia makes a dash for the Dombas region of South East Ukraine, where it still dreams territorial dreams, with annexed Crimea as crown jewel.
Between the glory of 2014 annexation of Crimea and today’s bungling into a Ukraine invasion, Vladimir Putin suffers the ultimate blues. It would appear the best Russia can get out of this one is a costly stalemate.
Though it’s early days yet, it appears too an emerging triumph of brain over brawn — and just as well! Seized Russian global assets may yet be turned into rebuilding and restoring Ukraine.
Butchers of Bucha? Not a bad parting tag for authors of a hare-brained invasion!