Three Ukrainian volunteers were shot dead by Russian troops after delivering food to starving animals in the heavily shelled city of Bucha. Kyiv.
Sergei Ustimenko, 25, Maxim Kuzmenko, 28, and Anastasia Yalanka, 26, were driving behind Ustimenko’s parents on March 4 when a Russian vehicle, described by witnesses as a tank or BMP, opened fire on their car.
All three were killed before Valery Ustimenko, Sergei’s father, ran out of the house and dragged the bodies out of the car into his basement.
This was announced by a friend of Maxim Kuzmenko Dmitry Zubkov. Kyiv Independent the Russians could not have been unaware that they were shooting at civilians.
“The car was (apparently) civilian,” he said.
“Maxim was wearing a hat with a pom-pom. They didn’t look like soldiers at all.”
Anastasia Yalanskaya (left), Sergei Ustimenko (second from right) and Maxim Kuzmenko (right). Their fourth friend (second from left) was not in the car that day, he is alive, Kyiv Independent reports.
Anastasia Yalanka, 26, was described as a talented IT recruiter who only started her new job three weeks ago.
Three days after the attack, the bodies remained in Valery’s basement, where he continued to hide from shelling. Three friends cannot be buried due to heavy artillery fire in Bucha.
Anatoly Fedoruk, Bucha’s mayor, said Russian shelling in the area was so relentless that residents were unable to gather the dead.
He described the horror of the bodies being torn apart by the dogs.
The three friends who were killed on March 4 had just delivered dog food to the shelter and were approaching the house where Ustimenko’s parents took refuge from the war.
Ustimenko, co-founder of a car repair shop in Kyiv, was driving the car and was described by friends as “kind and reliable” and “the best driver in all of Kyiv”.
Ivan Soloviy told the Kyiv Independent that Ustimenko was a friend “who would never betray you.”
Kuzmenko worked as a hookah man in a Kiev bar that helped supply the Ukrainian army and hospitals with food after the invasion.
Sergey Ustimenko, co-founder of a car repair shop in Kyiv, was called by his friends “kind and reliable” and “the best driver in all of Kyiv.”
Kuzmenko worked as a hookah man in a Kiev bar that helped supply the Ukrainian army and hospitals with food after the invasion.
After volunteering as a driver during the coronavirus pandemic, Kuzmenko returned to deliver essentials to residents of Kyiv and the surrounding area.
Katerina Zhvalyuk, his employer and friend, said: “He was always there for those who needed him.”
Jalanska was described as a talented IT recruiter who only started her new job three weeks ago.
Her boss, Jeremy Achin, said she was “ambitious” and someone who “wanted to grow and manage people in a big company.”
Her friends and family warned her to avoid areas under heavy shelling, but her husband Yevgeny Yalansky said she “always helped those in need, until her last breath.”
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‘Dogs tear apart bodies in the street’: Ukrainian mayor describes scenes of horror as relentless Russian shelling makes it impossible to collect the dead
The mayor of the besieged Ukrainian suburb described Russian artillery fire as so relentless that residents were unable to gather the dead, leaving dogs behind to “rip the bodies apart.”
Anatoly Fedoruk, mayor of Bucha, Kyivsaid military fire in the region was heavy and constant throughout the second week of the Russian invasion.
As the Kremlin said it was again promising safe corridors for civilians, Mr. Fedoruk said that the incessant rain of shells and rockets continued to rain down on the settlements.
“We can’t even collect the bodies, because shelling from heavy weapons does not stop day or night,” Fedoruk said.
“Dogs disassemble the bodies on the streets of the city. A nightmare”.
Anatoly Fedoruk, mayor of Bucha in Kyiv, said Russian artillery fire was so relentless that residents were unable to remove the bodies, leaving dogs to disassemble the bodies. In the photo: the dog stands between the destroyed Russian armored vehicles in Bucha
Civilians carry their belongings as they evacuate to safety across a contested bridge on the front line between Bucha and the town of Irpin. The area came under heavy Russian shelling
Corridors meant to allow Ukrainian citizens to avoid a Russian attack could be opened on Tuesday, Kremlin officials said, though Ukrainian leaders were skeptical of the plan as previous attempts to establish escape routes collapsed over the weekend due to renewed attacks.
In one of the most hopeless cities, surrounded by the southern port of Mariupol, some 200,000 people – almost half of the population of 430,000 – hoped to escape, and Red Cross representatives waited for a corridor to be created.
Russia’s top negotiator said he expected the corridors to be used on Tuesday.
The Russian ambassador to the UN predicted a potential ceasefire in the morning and apparently suggested that humanitarian routes leading away from Kyiv and other cities could give people a choice of where they want to go – a change from previous proposals that suggested only destinations in Russia or Belarus.
The office of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who is in a difficult situation, did not comment on the latest Russian proposal, saying only that Moscow’s plans can be trusted only if a safe evacuation begins.
Demand for effective passages has grown amid increased shelling by Russian troops.
Kremlin officials said corridors meant to allow Ukrainian citizens to escape a Russian advance could open on Tuesday, though Ukrainian leaders have taken the plan with skepticism. Pictured: A Ukrainian soldier looks at a civilian crossing a blown-up bridge east of the city of Brovary.
Incessant shelling, including in some of the most populated regions of Ukraine, has led to a humanitarian crisis associated with a decrease in food, water and medicine supplies.
Zelenskiy said that all along, Ukrainian forces have displayed unprecedented courage.
“The problem is that for every Ukrainian soldier there are 10 Russian soldiers, and for every Ukrainian tank there are 50 Russian tanks,” Zelenskiy said in an interview with ABC News that aired Monday night.
But he noted that the gap in power was shrinking and that even if the Russian troops “entered all our cities”, they would be met by the rebels.
A senior U.S. official said many countries are debating whether to provide them with the military jets Zelensky has asked for.
In The Hague, Netherlands, Ukraine has asked the International Court of Justice to stop Russia’s invasion, saying Moscow is committing large-scale war crimes.
Russia “is resorting to tactics reminiscent of medieval siege wars, where they encircle cities, cut off escape routes and bombard the civilian population with heavy artillery shells,” said Jonathan Gimblet, a member of the Ukraine legal team.
Russia snubbed the trial, leaving its seats in the Great Hall of Justice empty.
UN humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths addressed the Security Council and urged people to ensure safe passage “in the direction they choose.”
The UN Human Rights Office reported 406 confirmed civilian deaths, but said the real number was much higher. In the photo: a woman with a child is evacuating Bucha
The battle for Mariupol is critical because its capture could allow Moscow to establish a land corridor to Crimea, which Russia seized from Ukraine in 2014.
The fighting has sent energy prices skyrocketing around the world and plummeting inventories, as well as endangering the food supply and livelihoods of people around the world who depend on crops grown in the fertile Black Sea region.
The UN Human Rights Office reported 406 confirmed civilian deaths, but said the real number was much higher. The invasion also forced 1.7 million people to leave Ukraine.
On Monday, Moscow again announced a series of demands to stop the invasion, including that Ukraine recognize Crimea as part of Russia and recognize the eastern regions controlled by Moscow-backed separatists as independent.
He also pushed for Ukraine to change its constitution to ensure it does not join international organizations such as NATO and the EU. Ukraine has already rejected these demands.
Mr. Zelensky has called for stronger punitive measures against Russia, including a global boycott of its oil exports, which are key to its economy.
“If (Russia) does not want to abide by civilized rules, then they should not receive goods and services from civilization,” he said in a video message.