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Bucha ( uk, Буча, ) is a city in
Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...
's
Kyiv Oblast Kyiv Oblast ( uk, Ки́ївська о́бласть, translit=Kyïvska oblast), also called Kyivshchyna ( uk, Ки́ївщина), is an oblast (province) in central and northern Ukraine. It surrounds, but does not include, the city of Kyiv, w ...
. Administratively, it serves as the administrative center of
Bucha Raion Bucha Raion ( uk, Бучанський район, translit=Buchanskyi raion) is a raion (district) of Kyiv Oblast, Ukraine. It was created in July 2020 as part of the reform of administrative divisions of Ukraine. Its administrative center is the ...
. It hosts the administration of
Bucha urban hromada Bucha may refer to: Places Germany * Bucha, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany * Bucha, Saale-Holzland, Thuringia * Bucha, Saale-Orla, Thuringia Ukraine * Bucha, Kyiv Oblast, a city in Ukraine * Bucha (village), Kyiv Oblast, a village in Ukraine * B ...
, one of the
hromada A hromada ( uk, територіальна громада, lit=territorial community, translit=terytorialna hromada) is a basic unit of administrative division in Ukraine, similar to a municipality. It was established by the Government of Ukra ...
s of Ukraine. Its population is approximately . Bucha Day is celebrated in the city between 11 and 13 September. The
Battle of Bucha The battle of Bucha was part of the Kyiv offensive in the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine for control of the city of Bucha. The combatants were elements of the Russian Armed Forces and Ukrainian Ground Forces. The battle lasted from 27 Februar ...
was part of the Kyiv offensive in the
2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, which began in 2014. The invasion has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths on both sides. It has caused Europe's largest refugee crisis since World War II. An ...
. The battle lasted from 27 February 2022 to 31 March 2022 and ended with the withdrawal of Russian forces. Mayor Anatolii Fedoruk reported that Bucha had been fully retaken from Russian forces as of 31 March. After Ukrainian forces regained control of Bucha, reports and testimonies of war crimes committed by the Russian military began to circulate. These war crimes have been collectively labeled the
Bucha massacre The Bucha massacre ( uk, Бучанська різанина, Buchanska rizanyna) was the mass murder of Ukrainian civilians by Russian Armed Forces during the fight for and occupation of the Ukrainian city of Bucha amid the Russian invasi ...
.


Etymology

According to a local historian from Bucha, Anatoliya Zborovsky, Bucha was named after a nearby river, the Bucha River, which referred to the strength of the river's currents in ancient times. According to an
urban legend An urban legend (sometimes contemporary legend, modern legend, urban myth, or urban tale) is a genre of folklore comprising stories or fallacious claims circulated as true, especially as having happened to a "friend of a friend" or a family m ...
, during the construction of the railway station, the workers were not paid so they started a huge scandal, or "bucha" ( ukr, буча – scandal). The railway station received this name after its completion, so did the village.


History

The settlement arose with the construction of the
Kyiv Kyiv, also spelled Kiev, is the capital and most populous city of Ukraine. It is in north-central Ukraine along the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2021, its population was 2,962,180, making Kyiv the List of European cities by populat ...
Kovel Kovel (, ; pl, Kowel; yi, קאוולע / קאוולי ) is a city in Volyn Oblast (province), in northwestern Ukraine. It serves as the administrative center of Kovel Raion (district). Population: Kovel gives its name to one of the oldest runi ...
railway in 1898 around a small train stop by the along the Kyiv–Kovel railway similar to one in the modern city of
Irpin Irpin ( uk, Ірпі́нь, ) is a Hero City of Ukraine located on the Irpin River in Bucha Raion, Kyiv Oblast (province) right next to the city of Kyiv in northern Ukraine. Irpin hosts the administration of Irpin urban hromada, one of the h ...
. In close vicinity to the Bucha train stop, there was a small village called Yablunka, where there used to be a brick factory. Yablunka is mentioned in the 19th century Polish Geographic dictionary as the village of Jabłonka 37
verst A verst (russian: верста, ) is an obsolete Russian unit of length defined as 500 sazhen. This makes a verst equal to . Plurals and variants In the English language, ''verst'' is singular with the normal plural ''versts''. In Russian, the no ...
s away from Kyiv. During
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, before the liberation of Kiev from Nazi forces in December 1943, Bucha was the location of the headquarters of the
1st Ukrainian Front The 1st Ukrainian Front (Russian: Пéрвый Украи́нский фронт), previously the Voronezh Front (Russian: Воронежский Фронт) was a major formation of the Soviet Army during World War II, being equivalent to a ...
commanded by
General Vatutin Nikolai Fyodorovich Vatutin (russian: Никола́й Фёдорович Вату́тин; 16 December 1901 – 15 April 1944) was a Soviet military commander during World War II. Vatutin was responsible for many Red Army operations in Ukraine ...
. Bucha was granted city status on February 9, 2006 (previously, Bucha was an urban-type settlement within the
Irpin Irpin ( uk, Ірпі́нь, ) is a Hero City of Ukraine located on the Irpin River in Bucha Raion, Kyiv Oblast (province) right next to the city of Kyiv in northern Ukraine. Irpin hosts the administration of Irpin urban hromada, one of the h ...
city municipality). Until 18 July 2020, Bucha was incorporated as a city of oblast significance. In July 2020, as part of the administrative reform of Ukraine, which reduced the number of raions of Kyiv Oblast to seven, the city of Bucha was merged into
Bucha Raion Bucha Raion ( uk, Бучанський район, translit=Buchanskyi raion) is a raion (district) of Kyiv Oblast, Ukraine. It was created in July 2020 as part of the reform of administrative divisions of Ukraine. Its administrative center is the ...
.


2022 Russian invasion

During the
2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, which began in 2014. The invasion has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths on both sides. It has caused Europe's largest refugee crisis since World War II. An ...
, heavy fighting took place in Bucha as part of the Kyiv offensive, resulting in severe Russian losses. The city was captured by Russian forces on 12 March. Mayor Anatoliy Fedoruk announced the recapture of Bucha by Ukrainian forces on 31 March 2022.


Massacre

On 2 April 2022, news reports and videos emerged showing streets in Bucha covered with the bodies of men dressed in civilian clothes. Some of those found had their hands tied. Among those killed were women and children. According to first estimations at least 280 bodies were found. There was also evidence that Russian soldiers had systemically
torture Torture is the deliberate infliction of severe pain or suffering on a person for reasons such as punishment, extracting a confession, interrogation for information, or intimidating third parties. Some definitions are restricted to acts c ...
d, mutilated and executed many Ukrainians in the basement of a summer camp. The event caused the Ukrainian government to call on the ICC to investigate whether or not Russia had committed war crimes. On April 7, the mayor of Bucha, Anatoliy Fedoruk, reported that almost 90% of the dead residents had bullet wounds, not shrapnel wounds.


Geography

Bucha is located in
Kyiv Oblast Kyiv Oblast ( uk, Ки́ївська о́бласть, translit=Kyïvska oblast), also called Kyivshchyna ( uk, Ки́ївщина), is an oblast (province) in central and northern Ukraine. It surrounds, but does not include, the city of Kyiv, w ...
, 25 km west of
Kyiv Kyiv, also spelled Kiev, is the capital and most populous city of Ukraine. It is in north-central Ukraine along the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2021, its population was 2,962,180, making Kyiv the List of European cities by populat ...
. It borders the cities of
Irpin Irpin ( uk, Ірпі́нь, ) is a Hero City of Ukraine located on the Irpin River in Bucha Raion, Kyiv Oblast (province) right next to the city of Kyiv in northern Ukraine. Irpin hosts the administration of Irpin urban hromada, one of the h ...
and
Hostomel Hostomel ( uk, Гостомель, ) is a city in Bucha Raion, Kyiv Oblast, northwest of the capital city of Kyiv. It hosts the administration of Hostomel settlement hromada, one of the hromadas of Ukraine. The population of the settlement is app ...
and the villages of
Vorzel Vorzel ( uk, Во́рзель) is an urban-type settlement in Bucha Raion, Kyiv Oblast of Ukraine. It belongs to Bucha urban hromada, one of the hromadas of Ukraine. Population: It is home to Scripture Union's International Youth Camp. History ...
, Mykhailivka-Rubezhivka, and
Blystavytsia Blystavytsia ( uk, Блиставиця) is a village in Bucha Raion (district) in Kyiv Oblast of Ukraine. It belongs to Bucha urban hromada, one of the hromada A hromada ( uk, територіальна громада, lit=territorial comm ...
.


Places and people

There is a stadium in Bucha named Yuvileiny Stadium, where some matches were held in October 2016 for the 2017 UEFA European Under-19 Championship qualification. There is a
glass Glass is a non-crystalline, often transparent, amorphous solid that has widespread practical, technological, and decorative use in, for example, window panes, tableware, and optics. Glass is most often formed by rapid cooling (quenching) of ...
factory in Bucha. Built in 1946, it was closed in 2016. There is a small train stop called "Sklozavodska". The town's main landmark is a 19th-century
railway station Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...
located at the south edge of the city. Through the city runs a major highway . Author
Mikhail Bulgakov Mikhail Afanasyevich Bulgakov ( rus, links=no, Михаил Афанасьевич Булгаков, p=mʲɪxɐˈil ɐfɐˈnasʲjɪvʲɪtɕ bʊlˈɡakəf; – 10 March 1940) was a Soviet writer, medical doctor, and playwright active in the fir ...
stayed in Bucha with his family during the summer season in his cottage.


Twin towns

Bucha is twinned with: *
Kovel Kovel (, ; pl, Kowel; yi, קאוולע / קאוולי ) is a city in Volyn Oblast (province), in northwestern Ukraine. It serves as the administrative center of Kovel Raion (district). Population: Kovel gives its name to one of the oldest runi ...
, Ukraine *
Tiachiv Tiachiv ( uk, Тячів; rue, Тячово; hu, Técső; yi, טעטש, translit=Tetch) is a city located on the Tisza River in Zakarpattia Oblast (region) in western Ukraine. It is the administrative center of Tiachiv Raion (district). Today ...
, Ukraine *
Tuszyn Tuszyn is a small town in Łódź East County, Łódź Voivodeship, central Poland, with 7,237 inhabitants (2020). Climate Tuszyn has a humid continental climate (''Cfb'' in the Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classificat ...
, Poland *
Jasło Jasło is a county town in south-eastern Poland with 36,641 inhabitants, as of 31 December 2012. It is situated in the Subcarpathian Voivodeship (since 1999), and it was previously part of Krosno Voivodeship (1975–1998). It is located in Lesse ...
, Poland * Bucsa, Hungary *
Ferencváros Ferencváros () is the 9th district of Budapest ( hu, Budapest IX. kerülete), Hungary. Name The southern suburb of Pest was named after King Francis I on 4 December 1792 when he was crowned king of Hungary. History The development of Fe ...
, Hungary *
Bergamo Bergamo (; lmo, Bèrghem ; from the proto- Germanic elements *''berg +*heim'', the "mountain home") is a city in the alpine Lombardy region of northern Italy, approximately northeast of Milan, and about from Switzerland, the alpine lakes Como ...
, Italy


Gallery

File:Shtamm's Country House Ruins in Bucha.jpg, Shtamm's Country House Ruins in Bucha File:Вокзал ст. Буча.jpg, Bucha railway station File:Міський стадіон у Бучі.jpg, City stadium "Yuvileinyi" File:Afganistan war memorial in Bucha 2.JPG, Afghanistan war memorial


References


External links

*
bucha.com.ua
- Unofficial city portal *Shvorak, I.
History of the "Iron Volyn" (Історія "залізної Волині")
'. Volyn Times.
Ukraine: Apparent War Crimes in Russia-Controlled Areas Summary Executions, Other Grave Abuses by Russian Forces
HRW Human Rights Watch (HRW) is an international non-governmental organization, headquartered in New York City, that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. The group pressures governments, policy makers, companies, and individual human ri ...
, 3 April 2022 {{DEFAULTSORT:Bucha Kyiv Oblast Bucha Raion Cities in Kyiv Oblast Cities of regional significance in Ukraine Kyiv metropolitan area