By admin 
As soon as it gets dark on the city of Bucha in Ukraine, russian drone attacks begin. Brave women take to the streets to protect the city from these attacks.
The name of the group of brave women volunteers is Bucha Witches. The women are part of Ukraine’s air defense unit. The women’s unit has been fighting for air defence as more men in the country have gone to the battlefield.
Russia has been launching a number of drones and missiles as part of its efforts to destroy Ukraine’s main defence systems. The ‘Witches of Bucha’ team is facing these attacks. Drones are being shot down.
All of them are doing their part as teachers, doctors and beauticians during the day as they have to do this work after dark and are working for the country at night.
‘I am 51 years old and weigh 100 kg’
It was only after Ukrainian forces liberated the region in late March 2022 that the world came to know about the killings, abductions and violent attacks carried out by Russian forces here.
“I am 51 years old. The weight is 100 kg. I can’t run. I thought they would send me back. But it was surprising that they took me into the team that destroyed drones,” said Valentina, a veterinarian.
She spoke about the friends who encouraged her to get into this work and about the friends who died in the war.
“I can do this work,” Valentina said. “This kit is very heavy. Even so, we can do it,” he said.
Meanwhile, an air alert has been issued for the entire area. Valentina’s team immediately left their base in a pick-up truck in the dark. Four members of the team jumped out with their weapons.
‘Ancient weapons’
The machine guns near Bucha Witches are very old. Some are from the 1930s. The ammunition boxes printed by the Red Stars however belong to the Soviet days.
Since the machine gun did not have an internal cooling system, the only male in the team, Serhi, sprinkled water from a bottle of fresh water on it to cool them down. This shows the plight of Ukraine’s limited resources.
That’s why Ukraine has repeatedly asked its allies for more weapons.
However, the women said the old weapons were working well and they shot down three drones with them.
“My job is to listen to the sounds. That’s a bit embarrassing. But we have to be able to concentrate so that we can hear the ant chirping,” Valentina said.
‘I’ll teach you lessons, I’ll fight’
Valentina’s girlfriend Inna is also over 50 years of age. This was her first mission.
“It’s very scary. Yet we are mothers who have given birth to children… This fear does not count. It is not difficult to shoot down drones. I’ve done that three times. My name on this machine is Cherry,” she said, sharing her experience.
She is also a math teacher. She comes out of her base and teaches math lessons to the children.
“I wear clothes, slippers and lipstick in my car. As soon as I give them lessons, I will come back immediately,” inna said.
“All the men went to war. What is it that Ukrainian women can’t do? We can do anything,” she said.
It is not known how many people are part of this group of volunteers. But as Russia launches drones containing explosives every night, they have to put in place additional protective gear for big cities and towns.
Yulia spotted two drones on her tablet at the spot where the team was located. But they are in a far-flung neighborhood. There is no danger to Bucha because of them. But the machine should be ready with the guns until they completely eliminate the danger.
‘Is it because of women?’
The commander of the volunteers is Andre Verlati. He recently returned from Pokrovsk in the eastern Dansas region, where the war was at its peak. “Explosions are going on continuously there,” he said.
He is overseeing the 200-member mobile air defence teams. They will conduct patrolling at night. In fact, most of them are not eligible for military service. But many of the colonel’s entourage suddenly qualified for the battle due to the changes made to Ukraine’s law as more soldiers were needed.
“90 per cent of my entourage has come into the army,” he said.
“At first, it seemed like a joke to take women. There was not much faith in them. But that development has brought about a really big change,” he said.
Training on weekends
These women spend their weekends in extensive cross-border military training. The day we went there, we were getting the first training on attacking the building. They were practicing in the ruins of a farmhouse. They grabbed guns and went ahead.
Some seemed to be moving more comfortably than others. But the commitment of the rest of the women, their concentration was very evident. Because they have chosen this work wholeheartedly for deeper reasons.
“Life has changed and all our plans have been turned upside down. But I am here to help this war end quickly,” says a woman.
Anya is 52 years old and joins the team while working as an office manager. He said military training had taken them by storm.
“When I couldn’t help anyone during the Russian occupation. My existence seemed to have no meaning when I couldn’t defend myself. I want to learn how to use weapons,” she said.
The trainers said these women were enjoying the work they were doing. But that night a woman shared a body-tingling story at the training base.
After the capture of Bucha, Russian troops began to go door-to-door. They committed rapes and murders. Then one day rumours spread that they were coming to kill the children.
“That very day, I decided never to forgive the Russians,” the woman said.
I can’t share the details of what she said here. But there was no need to implement her decision as none of the Russian soldiers turned up. But the moments of that time still haunted this woman.
For the first time since she learned training techniques to protect herself, her family and the country, she felt some relief.
“Coming here has helped a lot,” she says. “I will never sit like a victim anymore and will not be so scared,” he said.