Note: This post contains graphics.
The worst thing I’ve seen since I arrived in Kyiv nearly a month ago should have been the body of a man who was shown to us in Borodyanka’s backyard, northwest of Kyiv.
The owner of the house, who had fled the city during the first few days of the war, took us to the place. She returned when the invading troops withdrew, only to find that her home had been searched by Russian soldiers.
Behind her garden shed, she showed us a man with a bag on his head, his hands tied behind his back and his pants taken off, showing his underwear and severely bruised leg.
He had a gunshot wound to the head and a cartridge case still lying next to his body.
He appears to have been tortured and executed by Russian soldiers, although we do not know for sure what happened to him.
At that time we had already seen the already famous mass grave in Bucha, but the image of this man remained with me – I find the individual closer to the team. It is easier to separate, to separate a group from the humanity from which they were robbed.
Some context: Borodyanka was home to 13,000 people before the war, but most fled after the Russian invasion. What is left of the city, after intense shelling and devastating air strikes, is occupied by Russian forces on February 28. The city returned to Ukrainian control on April 1.
Read more about what CNN reporters witnessed in Ukraine here:
Add Comment