Watch “destroy, in whole or in part” on our youtube channel now
In this new documentary, our reporter, Danylo Mokryk, investigates the possibility of whether Russian war crimes in Ukraine qualify as genocide – both legally and analytically.
Kyiv Oblast was among the first regions hit by Russia's full-scale invasion. Starting from late February, towns and villages near the Ukrainian capital had been suffering from the Russian shelling and bombing, as well as atrocities of the Russian troops, including rape and summary executions.
The Russian troops withdrew from the region on April 1. Immediately, the extent of destruction and human suffering brought by the occupying forces was revealed. According to the Interior Ministry, 720 bodies of killed civilians have been found in the Kyiv Oblast alone, and over 200 people are missing.
Now, once peaceful villages around Kyiv lay destroyed, the lives of their residents ruined.
Dmytrivka
Dmytrivka is a village of 2,000 people located just 10 kilometers west of Kyiv's borders, and south of Irpin, a satellite city of Kyiv. Dmytrivka experienced heavy fighting. The village had been under the Russian occupation for nearly three weeks. Russian troops were forced out of the village after a Ukrainian offensive on March 31.
Stoyanka
The village of Stoyanka is right next to Kyiv's western border, close to Irpin and Dmytrivka. Home to over 500 people, and sitting on the Irpin River, the village was a favored site for middle and high-income Kyiv residents.
Russian troops shelled and bombed the village for days, then rolled in the tanks. To halt Russian advances on the capital, Ukrainian troops destroyed the bridge connecting Stoyanka with Kyiv, cutting once prosperous settlement from Ukrainian-controlled territory for weeks.
Andriivka
The village of Andriivka, home to over 1,000 people and located 40 kilometers northwest of Kyiv, was under Russian occupation for 34 days. The village had suffered from fighting, with many houses getting damaged or ruined. Local citizens say that the Russians stationed in the village were robbing the houses en masse, stealing flat-screen TVs and valuable home appliances.
Buzova
Buzova, a village with a pre-war population of 1,500 people, was completely destroyed by Russian shelling, and later occupied. The U.K. Defense Ministry reported, citing Ukrainian intelligence, that a mass grave with the bodies of killed civilians was uncovered near Buzova after Russian troops had been driven out of the region.
Demydiv
Demydiv lies 10 kilometers north of Kyiv and was home to over 3,500 people before Russia launched the invasion. The village is now partly flooded due to the nearby Kyiv Reservoir being damaged by fighting.
Support independent journalism in Ukraine.
Join us in this fight.
Freedom can be costly. Both Ukraine and its journalists are paying a high price for their independence. Support independent journalism in its darkest hour. Support us for as little as $1, and it only takes a minute.
Residents reported loud noises in the region at around 3 a.m. local time, and photos and videos circulated on social media showing damaged apartments. Residents said shrapnel had broken the windows in several units.
Polish and other allied aircraft were scrambled on March 29 in response to reports of a massive Russian missile attack against Ukraine, the Operational Command of Poland's Armed Forces announced.
Russian occupation authorities targeted members of the LGBTQ+ community during the occupation of Kherson back in 2022, Ukrainian public organization Projektor announced on March 28.
The U.S. and U.K. are investigating several cryptocurrency transactions valued at more than $20 billion that passed through a Russian-based virtual exchange, Bloomberg reported on March 28.
This was the first time since 2022 that Russian troops used a glide air bomb, reportedly a new-type UMPB D-30 munition, to kill residents of Ukraine's second-largest city.
The Basmanny court in Moscow arrested on March 28 Gennadiy Sakharov, Russian state nuclear energy company Rosatom's construction project director, due to the accusations of receiving a bribe in "a particularly large amount," Russian media outlet Kommersant reported.
Bilateral trade between Russia and Armenia has flourished since 2022, providing ground for the accusations of alleged sanctions circumvention, media outlet Euroactiv reported on March 28.
The Russian propaganda network recently uncovered by Czech intelligence paid European and Belgian lawmakers to spread pro-Kremlin disinformation, Belgian Prime Minister Alexander de Croo said in Brussels on March 28.
Polish protesters have temporarily suspended the blockade of the Uhryniv-Dolhobychuv crossing on the Polish-Ukrainian border in both directions, Ukraine's State Border Guard Service said on March 28, citing information from the Polish side.
Russian forces attacked Novooleksandrivka in Donetsk Oblast's Pokrovsk district on March 28, injuring a 49-year-old man, Suspilne reported, citing a spokesperson of the regional prosecutor's office.
The British company Evolve Dynamics is focusing on developing drones for the Ukrainian military that are able to withstand electronic warfare, Reuters reported on March 28.
President Volodymyr Zelensky held meetings with the European Parliament's Renew Europe political group and the French National Assembly delegations on March 28, the Presidential Office reported.
A Czech-led initiative had concluded contracts for 1 million artillery shells for Ukraine, with shipments expected already in April, the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera reported on March 28, citing undisclosed sources.
Russia on March 28 vetoed the annual renewal of the panel of experts monitoring U.N. sanctions against North Korea over its nuclear and ballistic missile programs.
Ukraine needs more help from its allies to face an expected major Russian offensive, which may come at the end of May or in June, President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an interview with CBS News published on March 28.
"The deliberations are ongoing, and they take place within the fighter jet coalition," Swedish Defense Minister Pal Jonson said in an interview with the Kyiv Independent in Stockholm on March 28.
Berlin announced on March 28 military delivery to Ukraine, which contains armored vehicles, ammunition, and drones, among others, the Federal Government's press office reported.
The NATO-Ukraine Council held an extraordinary meeting on March 28 at Kyiv's request in response to Russia's missile attacks on critical infrastructure, Ukraine's Mission to NATO said.
A Russian military plane crashed into the sea near occupied Crimea, the Russian-installed head of Sevastopol, Mikhail Razvozhayev, claimed on March 28.