They are kindergarten teachers, veterinarians and teachers. As “the witches of Bucha”, they are an all-female mobile volunteer unit tasked with air defense around Bucha.
In real life, Valentyna is a veterinarian. But the 51-year-old spent three months as part of the “Witches of Bucha,” a volunteer unit that monitors the skies above Bucha in case of Russian drone attacks.
She trains in the forest near the city. She still practices shooting down drones in the back of a pickup truck. But her fellow warriors have already given her the battle name “Valkyrie” because of her unwavering determination. She tells us that if she can just launch a drone from the sky, she will be happy. Then the tough training at boot camp was worth it.
At first, she thought she was physically unable to do it – crawling through bushes, climbing trees while carrying military equipment – but she was overcome by ambition.
Valentina, who was hiding in the basement, survived the bombing and massacre of Butscha. Now she wants to protect the city as one of the “Witches of Butscha”.
Using the Russian Massacre as the Driving Force of the Operation
When the invasion began in 2022, she hid for days in an ice cellar in Bucha with her friends and neighbors to escape the Russians. They knew that the Russians were shooting Ukrainian civilians, including women and children, in the streets.
Valentina witnessed the Russian bombing of a nearby airport from one of her hideouts. She says she will never forget the shelling of Irpin and Butscha. Three weeks later, she managed to escape, crammed into a car with seven others.
The massacre of Bukharians became a symbol of Russian war crimes in Ukraine and for Valentina it became the driving force behind her fight in the volunteer unit.
Every evening, the “Witches of Bucha” launch Russian and Iranian Shahed drones into the sky, explains their trainer, Andrii Verlaty.
Never be exposed again
The feeling of helplessness plagued her for a long time until she realized that she had to do something about it. At one point, she became so angry after the recent massive attacks on Ukrainian cities that she started training.
The Russian military has repeatedly used drones around Kiev. According to President Volodymyr Zelensky, 300 drones were used to attack Ukrainian cities last week alone.
“They come almost silently. You don’t hear any bombs, explosions or grenades,” coach Andriy Verlaty tells them. Sometimes you can even hear birds singing. But every evening, the “Bucha witches” pull Russian and Iranian Shahed drones out of the sky, Verlaty proudly explains.
The ‘Secondary Witches’ are a volunteer force under the local government, not the military.
Promises are becoming more and more important.
A variety of women contact him. There are women with many children, as well as single women. Old and young; women with well-paying jobs and entrepreneurs want to become part of his voluntary mobile air defense unit.
Some women are more motivated than men, explains Colonel Verlaty. The training is tough, but rumors have long been circulating that it is very good. The “witches” are not part of the military. They are a volunteer unit, subordinate to local governments, he explains to us. Shooting down Russian and Iranian drones is becoming increasingly important.
Women fill the gap created by men being deployed to the front lines. Women are only a small part of the national army, but their efforts are becoming increasingly important. It has long been clear to women that the war is ongoing and many men are exhausted after spending months and years on the front lines. You want to take charge.
After completing her training, Valentina plans to volunteer two to three days a week to look after her youngest son, 11. Iryna, a real estate agent, also wants to keep her job. “I want to destroy drones so they don’t destroy us,” she says. Their unity has long been a part of their lives.
Learn everything about drone flight behavior from an experienced drone pilot instructor, and also undergo weapon disassembly and cleaning, urban warfare, and teamwork training.
camaraderie among women
Valentina says she can’t sleep peacefully at night because she’s now more aware of the dangers posed by drones. “My phone is always next to my pillow,” she says. But the training and camaraderie among women helped her come back stronger. As a veterinarian, she began studying tactical medicine and emergency medicine at the same time.
Other women in her class have reported for military service and have already signed up. One of them is currently a platoon leader in an assault battalion. Another is currently being trained as an officer to lead a team using multiple rocket launchers.
The war will last a long time, Valentyna believes, and the suburbs of Kiev have long been the front lines of this war. They need to be protected, just like men elsewhere.
