Meet the Witches of Boutcha: Guardians of Kyiv’s Skies

In a snow-covered forest about twenty kilometres from Kyiv, the Butcha Witches are training to defend their city.

In temperatures close to 0°C, this volunteer unit, composed mainly of women, of all ages and mostly from Bucha and the surrounding areas, listen intently to the orders of Czech, one of the instructors at the training centre.

At the start of the war the group witnessed the atrocities committed by Russian forces against Ukrainian civilians. “Joining the Butcha Witches is like taking revenge on life,” one of the volunteers told Byline Times.

Their commander, Andriy Verlatiy, explains that their primary mission is to defend Kyiv’s skies, destroying—almost daily—the hundreds of Iranian-made Shahed drones launched by the Russian Federation against Ukraine’s capital.

With a flushed face and a frayed ponytail, Czech shouts instructions for the exercises: “If you can’t reach your first aid kit, you’re dead. If you can’t reload, you’re dead. We’ll start the drill without your weapon, then with it.”

The small group of women follows his orders. One by one, in slightly disorganised fashion, they begin the initial drills: advancing in pairs, kneeling, firing, letting their partner pass, and simulating the reloading of an imaginary Kalashnikov.

“How long to reload? Three minutes. What will you do next if you’re under enemy fire?” Czech continues to shout.

Valentina, one of the participants, slings an AK-47 over her shoulder and carefully places her ammunition magazines on the Velcro straps of her bulletproof vest. Originally from Borodyanka, north of Kyiv, the 49-year-old found herself under Russian occupation at the start of the war.

“We didn’t expect the Russians to invade us. It was too late to flee, but I managed to get my daughter and her baby to safety. It’s a miracle they survived.”

Traumatised by the Russian occupation and the fear of their return, Valentina hesitated for a long time before joining a volunteer battalion.

Four months ago, she finally made up her mind and joined the Butcha Witches. Since then, Valentina has been balancing her work as a math teacher, caring for her grandson, and defending Kyiv’s skies.

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‘I Don’t Want my Grandson to Grow up in This World‘

Short in stature, Valentina listens intently to Czech’s orders and meticulously loads her AK-47 magazine with golden bullets. “I joined because I wanted to contribute to my country’s victory, and I believe everyone should play a role in that.”

Tatyana, originally from Irpin, a town about ten kilometres from Kyiv, laughs and refuses to reveal her age. “That’s not a question you ask a woman!”

Despite her broad smile, Tatyana shares that she has lost more than five family members since the war began. “My husband died at the start of the war while fighting the Russians in Irpin. My brother was killed a little later.”

After a moment of silence, her voice trembling with sobs, Tatyana recounts how her mother, overwhelmed by grief and stress, passed away earlier this year. “My nephew may have died too. He was fighting in the East. He’s been missing for months now.” 

To cope with her pain and anger, Tatyana joined the Butcha Witches.

After her husband’s death, she initially tried to enlist, but the recruiter advised her to go home. “Anger is useless on the battlefield,” he told her. “Only experience matters.”

Since then, Ukraine, which has been at war for over 1,000 days, has struggled to recruit and is critically short of personnel on all fronts.

At the end of November, The Economist published an article estimating that Ukrainian losses since the start of the war ranged between 60,000 and 100,000 men. In response to the shortage of soldiers, Kyiv, which already had many women in its ranks, has normalised their enlistment.

Taking advantage of this policy change, Tatyana didn’t hesitate and, six months ago, joined the Butcha Witches. Today, she serves as a machine gunner responsible for shooting down drones over Kyiv. 

Smiling, she says she hasn’t felt this good in a long time.

My world was destroyed by the Russians. I lost everything, but since joining the army, I feel like I’ve found a new family. Most importantly, I fight so that no Ukrainian has to suffer the way I’ve suffered

Tatyana, Butcha Witches

Valentina adds that all the women here are highly motivated and are fighting to end the war as quickly as possible. “I don’t want my grandson to grow up in this world. I don’t want him to inherit this war.”

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Relieving the Men

“With a neighbour like Russia, air defence is one of the most crucial elements for our country,” says Commander Andriy Verlatiy. This task, according to Valentina, can be carried out just as effectively by women as by men.

“I demolish anyone who dares to say that women can’t perform as well as men. In fact, they’re often better,” Verlatiy declares, denouncing the sexism that still exists within the Ukrainian armed forces. He admits, however, that not so long ago, he himself believed women had no place in the military.

Nevertheless, in the face of Russian pressure in the country’s east, many soldiers have been sent to fill gaps on the front line. “Our men were sent to Pokrovsk,” Valentina explains. “In a world without war, I believe women would have much better things to do outside the military. But we’ve lost so many men, and it’s our duty to replace them wherever we can.”

While most women in the battalion serve in the Kyiv region, far from the front lines, others have chosen to fight directly on the front. Such is the case for Oksana, a former cook at a Kyiv restaurant. The 52-year-old has just returned from two months on the Pokrovsk front (Donetsk oblast), where she served as a machine gunner.

“My son and husband enlisted at the very beginning of the war, but because we have a granddaughter, they didn’t want me to join them.” This year, however, Oksana made up her mind to enlist, informing her husband only after she had made the decision.

At first, my family didn’t support my choice. But now, my son, who serves in the Kharkiv region, calls me and says, ‘Mom, I’m so proud of you. You’ve become so strong’

Oksana, Butcha Witches

Toward the end of his recovery from an injury sustained in the Serebrianka forest (Donetsk oblast), Oksana’s husband, Bison, came to watch her training. Bison, who will return to the front in January, now seems to accept his wife’s decision and is proud of her.

With tears in her eyes, Oksana concludes, “Even my husband, when I tell him I want to go to the front, replies, ‘You won’t go alone; you’ll go with me.’”

Today, Oksana is negotiating with her commander to be deployed to the same front as her husband.