The Ukrainian town of Bucha, which became synonymous with Russian war crimes after occupying forces massacred hundreds of civilians there in 2022, is now home to a unique form of resistance. The Bucha Volunteer Territorial Community Formation recently started recruiting all-female mobile fire teams known as the “Witches” and “Valkyries.” Journalists from the Ukrainian outlet Ukrainska Pravda spoke with several of these “Bucha Witches” about their decision to take up arms and what it’s like to defend Ukraine’s skies from Russian drones and missiles. Meduza shares a summary of their reporting in English.
Olena ‘Small’
Originally from Lviv, Olena moved to Kyiv in 2023 and began working as a general practitioner at a clinic in Bucha. In June 2024, while driving back from celebrating her 26th birthday in Odesa with her friend Anhelina, she came across an Instagram post recruiting volunteers for the Bucha Territorial Community Formation. Both she and Anhelina decided to enlist in the “Witches” mobile fire group.
Olena had long wanted to join the Defense Forces but struggled to balance her demanding job with military service. Her family has deep military roots: her great-grandfather served in the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists, and her great-grandmother was a liaison for them. Her godfather started taking her to the shooting range when she was just five. “At the training center, they let me shoot a Browning [machine gun]. I hit 11 aerial targets with 25 rounds. High accuracy, low ammo use, so the commander said, ‘You’ll be a machine gunner!’” she recalls.
“My goal is to keep people safe and allow them to sleep peacefully. My dream is for the war to end and for everyone to return from the front and captivity,” says Olena…
Ned Hamson's Second Line View of the News 
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