Local authorities with the help of militia of Borodyanka persuaded civilian residents of the high-rise blocks to go down to the basements for alleged “security reasons”. Writes Lucas Leiroz
After the allegations of war crimes in Bucha, the Ukrainian authorities point to a similar – perhaps worse – situation in Borodyanka, where hundreds of civilian victims have been reported in recent hours. Russian troops are being accused of carrying out the possible massacre, in which would be another episode of what the Western media has called the “Ukrainian genocide”.
However, there are a number of questions to be answered before making such an accusation.
Much of Borodyanka was destroyed during the clashes that have been raging in Ukraine since February, when the Russian special military operation began. Both sides of the conflict faced each other in that small town, quickly changing the previous scenario of stability that characterized the region. Obviously, in all combat situations there are scenes of destruction, which result from the actions of both sides.
However, now, after Russian troops left the region, Ukrainian forces have spread the speech that “the Russians destroyed Borodyanka”. More than that, after returning to the region, the Ukrainian military began to report the existence of civilian bodies dispersed on the streets, accusing the Russians of having committed war crimes and of being the responsible for the scenario of destruction in the city.
As happened in Bucha, the Ukrainian side insists that the Russians committed war crimes which supposedly were only discovered after the Russian troops withdrew from the region, allowing the Ukrainian forces to enter. Western media claim that the crimes have only started to be reported now because the Russians previously hidden the facts. But there are a number of inconsistencies in this matter. The most important of them is the fact that the residents of the region had already, two weeks before the Ukrainian media reported the case, informed that the Kiev authorities were involved in destruction of the city.
A few days before the start of media coverage of the tragedy in the city, a resident of Borodyanka, Ganin Nikolay, had recorded videos denouncing the real responsible for the events in the region, gaining notoriety in social media.
According to Nikolay, local authorities with the help of militia of Borodyanka persuaded civilian residents of the high-rise blocks to go down to the basements for alleged “security reasons”. Machine guns, grenade launchers, mortars and other advanced weapons with high lethal impact were prepared, ammunition depots were set up in the entrances of the buildings.
The Ukrainian authorities entrusted the defense of the town to the head of the local council, Georgy Yerko. But he and the local militia provoked Russian troops and tanks passing by the city into a shootout and finally the Russians entered the center of Borodyanka.
Knowing about this the Ukrainian military began using Grad missile launchers to hit the Russians. Two big explosions probably detonated the arsenals on the first floors. As a result civilians were buried alive in the basements under the rubble of high-rise blocks, the Telegram channel said in a publication “Kyivska Rus”, the author of which posted a video with Ganin.
“When, a week later, units of the Russian Guard entered the deserted city to stop looting, put an end to violence and restore order, pensioners from nearby private houses told the Russian military a terrible story about people being buried alive,” the author of the channel said.
It is noteworthy that now Yerko blames the Russian military for everything.
“People who were in the cellars were buried alive. We immediately tried to dig them out. An air raid alert was heard. Then the columns, tanks, armored personnel carriers went again and fired at cars and people who were trying to dig people out. But they did not allow us to dig. Then our town was occupied,” he said in an interview with Obozrevatel on April 5.
When the Russians took over the main parts of the city they tried to prevent the worsening of the humanitarian crisis. The scenario of destruction is due to the conflict situation itself, but if it had not been for provocation from Yerko and his soldiers to force an action there would not have been such a destruction caused by Ukrainian missile launchers to hit the Russian military in the center of the town.
A deep and thorough investigation of this situation will soon discover the truth about what really happened in Borodyanka and who is to blame for it.
Lucas Leiroz, researcher in Social Sciences at the Rural Federal University of Rio de Janeiro; geopolitical consultant.
