Three months have passed since AFP journalists discovered 20 dead civilian bodies on April 2, the first indications of the atrocities and destruction committed during the Russian occupation of the northwestern suburbs of kyiv: Boutcha, Irpin , Borodyanka.
At the beginning of July, the scars of the fighting are still visible everywhere: broken windows, bullet holes, holed walls. Along Vokzalnaïa Avenue, which connects Boutcha to Irpine, destroyed or seriously damaged buildings follow one another, houses, apartment buildings, shops, shopping center.
Reconstruction, however, does not seem to be the main concern of the inhabitants for the moment. Even if many of them, who had fled the Russian occupation, have been back for several weeks already. Fear of a new Russian offensive in the region is on everyone’s mind.
In recent days, rumors of an imminent attack from Belarus – whose border is only a hundred kilometers to the north – have been amplified. Fueled by statements by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, Vladimir Putin’s first ally, who on Saturday accused the Ukrainians of firing missiles at his country and threatened to retaliate.