In the suburbs of kyiv, the small town of Boutcha has become the symbol of Ukrainian resilience. Occupied, scene of massacres by the Russian army, the city was also intensely bombarded at the start of the conflict. Today, as the second anniversary of the Russian invasion approaches, the city is seeking a new future.
From our special correspondent in Boutcha, with Jad El Khoury and Kyrylo Tiulieniev
To reach the city of Boutcha About thirty kilometers northwest of kyiv, we take a bridge, rebuilt only a few weeks ago. The soldiers at checkpoints no longer systematically stop cars, on the road brand new buildings have risen from the ground, but the blackened ruins of a house or the charred remains of a supermarket recall the intensity of the fighting which allowed Ukrainian resistance to stop the advance of Russian tanks at the gates of kyiv. “ Here, in this street, Russians who occupied the city killed 78 civilians », says Polina Boyko who works for the municipality. “ There, you see, this building is new. And those houses over there had been destroyed by a Russian tank. »
More than 4,000 residential buildings and public infrastructure were completely or partially destroyed in the Boutcha metropolitan area, the vast majority in the first months of the invasion. Almost two years after the liberation of the city, on April 1, 2022, 80% of these buildings have been rebuilt or renovated. “ Since the very first day of liberation, our goal has been to bring people back to their homes “, explains Anatolii Fedoruk, the city’s mayor since 1998. “ Of course, we can’t just tell people: “Go home“After what the Russians did to the city, it had to be cleaned and rebuilt. »
Becoming “a city where life is good”
The international emotion aroused by the Boutcha massacre allowed the city to benefit from an exception to martial law and to raise funds for reconstruction. A new police training center is under construction, as is what is to become Ukraine’s largest commercial center. The city also benefited from an influx of refugees. “ Many people from the occupied regions of eastern or southern Ukraine came to Busha to open businesses. They say it’s their mission to breathe life back into the city », underlines Polina Boyko
Its mayor is aware of it, the city will never be the same again: “ We have changed, everyone in Ukraine has changed. But we want the new Boutcha to be even better, to talk about its cultural, economic and sporting successes. That Boutcha is a city where life is good and not what the Russians wanted to make of it », Hopes the mayor.
Read alsoUkraine: in Boutcha, the difficult reconstruction after several months of war