– His name was Vanja. He was a good friend. That boy never got into trouble. He was happy with life. Four young people are sitting in a cafe in Butsha, Ukraine. The pictures of them show that it could have been a cafe anywhere in Europe. It could have been young people anywhere in Europe. But outside the cafe lies Butsha – a suburb of Kyiv and the scene of a massacre of Ukrainian civilians earlier this year. And inside the cafe there should have been five young people, not four. It is Borgus Andrienko (16) who first tells about Vanja. Then Anna Zahapchenko (15), Sophia Rogova (15) and Anastasija Kaiolonska (15) throw themselves. Borgus and Sophia at the cafe. Less than a year ago, Sophia had to hide for several weeks in a cellar while the Russians held Butsja. Photo: Mohammed Alayoubi / news They all want to remember their friend who is no longer with them. Sophia says he was shot and killed by the Russians, before Anna adds: – He was my classmate and our mutual friend. He died in a heroic way. He protected his younger sister. A sniper shot him, as far as I know. Anna Zahapchenko says that her friend Vanja died while trying to protect her little sister. Photo: Mohammed Alayoubi / news – Yes, a sniper at our house, Borgus informs. They tell everyone about a happy boy and repeat again how happy Vanja was with life. They talk about longing and their friend’s big heart. – He calmed everyone down. If someone was sad, he always tried to help, joke, say something that made everyone smile, says Anna. Hiding in a basement for two weeks Butsja became known worldwide after Russian forces withdrew from the areas around Kyiv at the beginning of April. The bodies of dozens of people in civilian clothes were found, some of them tied behind the back and shot at close range. According to the Ukrainian authorities, close to 500 people were killed in the city of Drabant. Smashed cars, bombed out houses and dead people in the streets. That was the sight that met news’s journalists when they drove into the city after the Russian withdrawal in April. The first pictures from Butsja after the Russian withdrawal showed bodies in the streets and great destruction. 15-year-old Sophia says that she and her family stayed in a basement for two weeks after the Russians rolled into Butsja in February. – It was very scary. The whole family sat there – two brothers aged 21 and 23, mother and father. My mother calmed me down and everyone was calm except me and father. It was scary and horrible. It is a difficult thing to experience. Several months have passed since the Russians withdrew, but their traces are still visible in Butsha. Photo: Mohammed Alayoubi / news Think Butsja will become a tourist capital The city’s residents lived in the firing line for several weeks, but the four young people are optimistic about the future. – I think Butsja will get even better. As soon as the war ends, Ukraine will be much better. Then we can become what we want. We are a free country, and we want this freedom. We don’t want the attackers to think that we have to obey them, says Sophia. Anastasija Kaiolonska believes that many tourists will visit Butsja after the war to learn about what happened in the city. Photo: Mohammed Alayoubi / news Anastasija Kaiolonska believes many people will be drawn to Butsja after the war to learn about what has happened. – I think we will win. It is logical. After that, many tourists will come here. Everyone will be interested in what happened in Butsja, she says. The others agree. – I think Butsja will become Ukraine’s tourist capital, too much has happened here, says Borgus. – But there is also Mariupol, for example, adds Anna. – Butsha, Mariupol, Izium, Nova Kakhovka, Bakhmut, Kharkiv… answers Borgus.
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