By Simon Gardner

BUCHA (Reuters) – A neatly trimmed apartment block on Vodoprovidna Street is located in a peaceful, tree-lined area of Bucha. It has pedestrian walkways and verges. One of the many modern apartments that backs onto a kindergarten is number 34a Vodoprovidna. The majority of residents are middle-class: Vasyl Nadashkivskiy was a PVC window installer and lived on the fifth floor along with Tetyana and Nika, their dog. Oleksii Trasevich is a nanotechnology engineer and another resident, child psychologist.

Russian soldiers arrived at this address on March 5th, just after 12 noon according to Tarasevich. He kept a log and recorded video and photos of what he witnessed from his apartment windows. The footage and photos were shared with Reuters by Tarasevich, who verified their authenticity.

A month later, 47-year old Nedashkivskiy and another local were dead – their mutilated bodies discovered on a basement stairwell of a building in the complex – and many of the complex’s residents had fled. A resident’s parking lot was the scene. Renault (PA:) A Captur SUV was flipped and an Audi saloon was flipped.

A minimum of a dozen residents have provided accounts that paint an image of intimidation and violence by soldiers during their time in the neighborhood. Tarasevich, his wife, and Nedashkivskiy claimed that Nedashkivskiy suffered severe beatings while unarmed.

Nedashkivskiy’s wife, Tetyana, told Reuters that Russian soldiers found an automatic rifle hidden in their apartment following his beating in mid March. According to her, a soldier informed her that the Russian soldiers had taken her husband to an unidentified place for questioning. Two weeks later, after Russian troops withdrew, neighbours found Nedashkivskiy’s dead body, Tetyana said.

A photograph of Nedashkivskiy’s body reviewed by Reuters showed his face and hands had been smashed with what appeared to be a blunt instrument.

The second man was found dead on April 1 at the same spot where Nedashkivskiy’s body was discovered, according to Tetyana. Reuters saw the marks on the body of the second man two days later and they indicated that he was beaten, shot through his mouth, and had taken a bullet to the face.

Reuters obtained video footage and witnesses accounts that also indicated the Russian soldiers worried that, even though no Ukrainian military presence was visible in Bucha since March 1, they might still be attacked by drones or other combatants hidden among Bucha’s residents. Tarasevich stated that soldiers were in combat gear, with their weapons pointed at them. He also said that they used blankets to hide their vehicles.

These accounts reveal that residents also resented invading their neighborhood and apartment buildings.

Russian defense ministry and Kremlin did not respond to specific requests regarding the death of these two men. Residents and Ukrainian claims of Russian murders in Bucha have portrayed the events at the complex as they happened.

Russia denied intentionally targeting civilians after its invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2018. Moscow began a “special army operation” in Ukraine to “denazify and demilitarize” Ukraine. The West and Ukraine both claim that the invasion was unjustified and illegal.

According to Ukrainian officials, hundreds of civilians died since Russian troops left Bucha last week. Bucha’s mayor has said dozens were the victims of extra-judicial killings carried out by Russian troops. Reuters was unable to independently confirm these figures.

Reuters saw the remains of five Bucha shooting victims. One of the victims had his hands tied behind him. The other had his feet tied. Reuters was unable to determine independently who is responsible.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said at a news briefing on Wednesday that images purporting to show dead civilians in Bucha were fake and published in order to justify further sanctions by the West against Moscow and “to complicate, if not completely disrupt, (peace) talks.”

RUSSIANS OVERTHROW

Bucha is located about 30 kilometers northwest of Kyiv’s centre. Tarasevich claimed that the Russian soldiers had not yet reached Bucha.

Tarasevich said he’s not a member of the territorial defence forces. According to his wife, neither was Nedashkivskiy. Territorial defence officers in Bucha referred questions to the deputy mayor, who didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. Also, the local defense force numbers were not available for comment.

Locals claim that Russian soldiers arrived in Bucha one week prior to their arrival at the Vodoprovidna complex. They seized three apartments from one building, used it as a command station and used the basement. Tarasevich’s images showed that soldiers parked their armoured personnel trucks and military trucks inside the compound.

About 3,700 civilians stayed in Bucha after the Russians arrived, the town’s mayor has said, or about a tenth of the town’s population.

According to eight people, the soldiers ordered citizens to put white bands on their arms to show that they were civilians. Tetyana said that the soldiers enforced a curfew at night.

Tarasevich explained that the soldiers entered apartments and searched them, writing on their doors in Russian “Inspected.” They sometimes stole contents from empty apartments, he said. He shared a photo with Reuters that showed an armored truck parked out front with what looked like civilian sports bags attached to the roof.

According to Reuters reports, 20 Bucha residents claimed that the soldiers had ordered them to turn over their phones.

Tarasevich stated that he provided soldiers with an old and broken telephone. The actual phone was found under the bed of his mother, an elderly woman with whom he lives. According to him, he claimed that he was unable to move her because she was infirm.

Tarasevich claimed that he concealed in his apartment the munitions he had taken out of a Russian military vehicle damaged on February 27th, after it was attacked and destroyed by Ukrainian troops. The Russians arrived at his complex and he claimed he intended to give them to Ukrainian troops.

A BODY ON STAIRS

On the evening of March 17, Vasyl Nedashkivskiy arrived at the entrance to his building a few minutes after the 5 p.m. curfew, according to his wife and Tarasevich, whose apartment is on the same landing as the couple’s. According to them, Nedashkivskiy wasn’t wearing the required white armband by the Russian soldiers.

Both claimed to Reuters they heard raised voices on the ground floor. Tarasevich claims that a soldier arrived at Tarasevich’s home and pointed his weapon at Tarasevich. He ordered him to get down, Tarasevich said.

Tarasevich claimed that he witnessed Nedashkivskiy lie motionless in a pool blood on the ground, while at least three soldiers stood over him. Nedashkivskiy had many teeth and his face was covered in blood. Tarasevich ordered one soldier to free Nedashkivskiy.

When he protested, the soldier brandished his weapon at him and threatened him verbally, according to Tarasevich, who detailed his account in a signed testimony reviewed by Reuters that he said he gave to the local prosecutor’s office. Neither the prosecutor’s office in Kyiv or the local branch immediately responded to requests for comment.

Tarasevich claimed that he assisted Nedashkivskiy to a seat on a bench near the entrance of the building. Tarasevich was then returned to his apartment by the soldiers.

About two hours later, according to Tarasevich, he heard a noise on the landing and through the spyglass in his door saw Nedashkivskiy, with some soldiers, going into the couple’s apartment.

Nedashkivskiy’s wife said that soldiers found the weapon hidden beneath a TV. It was said that her husband got it from an acquaintance who had been serving as a soldier in Ukraine’s territorial defenses.

Tetyana stated that the soldiers brought the couple to building 33b of the command post. The soldier then struck her husband, she said.

Tetyana claimed that she was led into a bedroom for children, and fell asleep there. She awoke to find her husband gone.

Tetyana reported that a soldier said he was taken to the headquarters for questioning, but did not give any details. Reuters observed dried blood drips on the floors and walls of the building during a Thursday visit.

Tetyana claimed that after four days in captivity at the command station, soldiers permitted her to leave. The body of her husband was discovered on April 1st, a week after she left the post. It was located on the stairs leading to the basement.

Her husband, she claimed, had not complied with the orders of the Russian soldiers. “Vasya didn’t wear the white armband,” she stated, using an affectionate rendition of his first name. He said, “I am on Ukrainian soil.” I’m Ukrainian’.”