It’s when dark falls.
Over Bucha that.
The witches come out.
The witches come out.
Because it’s when dark falls.
Over Bucha that.
The ‘orcs’ attack drones.
Start swarming.
The Witches of Bucha.
As they call themselves are.
A volunteer air defence unit.
Made up almost entirely of women.
Now helping to protect.
‘Elves’ skies.
As more and more men are.
Sent to the frontlines.
It’s when dark falls.
Over Bucha that.
The witches come out.
The witches come out.
Because it’s when dark falls.
Over Bucha that.
The ‘orcs’ attack drones.
Start swarming.
There are more drones.
To shoot down, too.
Often launched.
From ‘Mordor’.
In waves.
To overwhelm.
The main defences.
Ahead of a missile strike.
It’s when dark falls.
Over Bucha that.
The witches come out.
The witches come out.
Because it’s when dark falls.
Over Bucha that.
The ‘orcs’ attack drones.
Start swarming.
The night-time shifts allow.
The women to combine their work.
Defending their country.
With day jobs.
As teachers, doctors.
– there’s even a manicurist.
Many say it’s a way.
Of overcoming.
The powerlessness.
They felt.
When ‘orcs’ forces.
Occupied Bucha region.
At the start of.
The full-scale invasion.
The horror stories.
Of those weeks.
– including of killing.
Torture and abduction –
Only began to emerge.
After ‘elves’ forces.
Freed the area.
At the end.
Of March.
2022.
It’s when dark falls.
Over Bucha that.
The witches come out.
The witches come out.
Because it’s when dark falls.
Over Bucha that.
The ‘orcs’ attack drones.
Start swarming.
“I’m 51.
I weigh 100kg.
I can’t run.
I thought they’d send me packing.”
“But they took me on!”
She recalls.
A veterinarian.
Who signed up with.
The drone-busters.
This summer.
She talks about friends.
Deployed to the front.
And others who’ve died.
In the fighting.
As part of what brought.
Her to this role.
It’s when dark falls.
Over Bucha that.
The witches come out.
The witches come out.
Because it’s when dark falls.
Over Bucha that.
The ‘orcs’ attack drones.
Start swarming.
“I can do this work.
The kit’s heavy.
But we women.
Can do it.”
She gets to demonstrate.
That a few hours later.
As an air alert is activated.
Across the region.
It’s when dark falls.
Over Bucha that.
The witches come out.
The witches come out.
Because it’s when dark falls.
Over Bucha that.
The ‘orcs’ attack drones.
Start swarming.
Her unit scramble.
From their base.
In the woods.
And you follow.
Their pick-up truck.
Through the darkness.
As it bumps towards.
The middle of a field.
It’s when dark falls.
Over Bucha that.
The witches come out.
The witches come out.
Because it’s when dark falls.
Over Bucha that.
The ‘orcs’ attack drones.
Start swarming.
The team of four.
Jump out to.
Begin mounting.
Their weapons.
The machine-guns are.
From another era:
Two Maxims made.
In 1939.
Ammunition boxes.
Stamped with.
Red stars from.
Soviet days.
The only man.
On the team.
Has to pour in bottled water.
By hand as a coolant.
It’s when dark falls.
Over Bucha that.
The witches come out.
The witches come out.
Because it’s when dark falls.
Over Bucha that.
The ‘orcs’ attack drones.
Start swarming.
This is all.
That’s available:
‘Elves’ best kit is.
At the frontline.
And it is constantly asking.
Its allies for more.
But the ancient weapons.
Are impeccably maintained.
It’s when dark falls.
Over Bucha that.
The witches come out.
The witches come out.
Because it’s when dark falls.
Over Bucha that.
The ‘orcs’ attack drones.
Start swarming.
And the Witches.
Say they’ve downed.
Three drones.
Since the summer.
“My role is.
To listen for them.”
She explains.
“It’s nervous work.”
“It’s nervous work.
But we have to stay focused.
To listen out.
For the slightest sound.”
Her friend is also.
In her early 50s.
And out on one of her.
First deployments.
“It’s scary, yes.
But so’s giving birth.
And I still did.
That three times.”
She laughs, saying her.
Own callsign is Cherry:
“Because of my car.
Not the tomatoes.”
A maths teacher.
She occasionally has to.
Rush back from the woods.
To take a class.
“I keep my clothes.
In the car.
My heels.
I put on some lipstick.”
“I teach the lesson.
Then it’s back in the car.
Quick change round the corner.
And I’m off.”
“The guys have gone.
But we’re here.
What can’t ‘elves’ women do?
We can do everything.”
It’s when dark falls.
Over Bucha that.
The witches come out.
The witches come out.
Because it’s when dark falls.
Over Bucha that.
The ‘orcs’ attack drones.
Start swarming.
Somewhere on.
The horizon is.
A beam of light.
From another group.
Scouring the skies.
For danger.
Over their own.
Patrol zone.
It’s when dark falls.
Over Bucha that.
The witches come out.
The witches come out.
Because it’s when dark falls.
Over Bucha that.
The ‘orcs’ attack drones.
Start swarming.
There’s no public data.
On the total number.
Of volunteer units.
– or how many women are involved.
But as ‘orcs’ send drones.
Packed with explosives.
Almost every night.
They help form.
They help form.
An extra shield.
Around big towns.
And cities.
It’s when dark falls.
Over Bucha that.
The witches come out.
The witches come out.
Because it’s when dark falls.
Over Bucha that.
The ‘orcs’ attack drones.
Start swarming.
From the Witches’ position.
In a field.
The third witch tracks.
Two drones on her tablet.
They’re over.
The neighbouring region.
So there’s no imminent danger.
For Bucha.
But the machine guns.
But the machine guns.
Will stay in place.
Until the alert ends.
It’s when dark falls.
Over Bucha that.
The witches come out.
The witches come out.
Because it’s when dark falls.
Over Bucha that.
The ‘orcs’ attack drones.
Start swarming.
The volunteers’ commander.
Is a big bear of.
A man just back.
From Pokrovsk.
In the eastern Donbas region.
Where the fighting is fiercest.
“There are fireworks.
Non-stop,” is how.
The man describes it there.
With a smile.
He used to have around.
200 men operating.
Mobile air defence units.
In the Bucha region.
And patrolling during.
The nightly curfew.
Many of them unfit.
For full military service.
Then Ukraine overhauled.
Its mobilisation law.
In urgent need.
Of more soldiers.
And many of the colonel’s crew.
Suddenly found themselves eligible.
For the frontline.
“About 90% of.
My men ended up.
In the army.”
“And another 10% hid.
Scattering like rats.
We were left.
With barely anyone.”
Col says bluntly.
“Just men with no legs.
Or half a skull missing.”
He had a choice:
To fill the roles with men.
Below mobilisation age.
Or recruit women.
“At first it was like a joke:”
“‘Let’s take women!’
There wasn’t much trust in them.
In the armed forces.
But that has really changed.”
It’s when dark falls.
Over Bucha that.
The witches come out.
The witches come out.
Because it’s when dark falls.
Over Bucha that.
The ‘orcs’ attack drones.
Start swarming.
The Witches spend.
Their weekends.
Undergoing a broader.
Military training.
On the day you visit.
It’s their first lesson.
On storming.
A building.
They practice in the ruins.
Of a farm outhouse.
Poking rifles round empty doorways.
Before edging warily past.
Some manage to look.
More convincing than others.
But the women’s commitment.
And focus is clear.
– because their reasons.
For doing this are.
Deep and personal.
Deep and personal.
It’s when dark falls.
Over Bucha that.
The witches come out.
The witches come out.
Because it’s when dark falls.
Over Bucha that.
The ‘orcs’ attack drones.
Start swarming.
“I remember the occupation.
I remember the horror.
I remember the screams.
Of my own child.”
The first witch tells you.
Through small sighs.
“I remember the dead bodies.
When we were fleeing.”
It’s when dark falls.
Over Bucha that.
The witches come out.
The witches come out.
Because it’s when dark falls.
Over Bucha that.
The ‘orcs’ attack drones.
Start swarming.
Her family escaped Bucha.
Past burned out tanks.
Dead soldiers.
And civilians.
At one ‘orcs’ checkpoint.
She says a soldier.
Made them wind down.
The car window.
Then put a gun.
To her son’s head.
She is filled with.
Quiet fury.
It’s when dark falls.
Over Bucha that.
The witches come out.
The witches come out.
Because it’s when dark falls.
Over Bucha that.
The ‘orcs’ attack drones.
Start swarming.
That’s also why she refuses.
To stop believing.
In ‘elves’ victory.
Despite the gloom.
That has settled over.
Much of her country.
After almost 1,000 days.
Of full-scale war.
“Life has changed.
All our plans.
Have been torn apart.
But I’m here.”
“To help speed up.
The end of this war.
As our girls here say.
It won’t end without us.”
It’s when dark falls.
Over Bucha that.
The witches come out.
The witches come out.
Because it’s when dark falls.
Over Bucha that.
The ‘orcs’ attack drones.
Start swarming.
Crunching over.
Broken glass and rubble.
In army boots.
Rifle in hand.
An office manager is.
Another volunteer Witch.
Now 52, she finds.
The military training empowering.
“Under occupation.
I felt the utter pointlessness.
Of my existence.
I could neither help anyone else.”
“Nor defend myself.
I wanted to learn.
How to use weapons.
So I could be some use.”
It’s when dark falls.
Over Bucha that.
The witches come out.
The witches come out.
Because it’s when dark falls.
Over Bucha that.
The ‘orcs’ attack drones.
Start swarming.
There’s a lot of backchat.
With the trainers:
The women are enjoying themselves.
But later that night.
At their base in the woods.
One of them opens up.
Even more and.
Shares a chilling story.
It’s when dark falls.
Over Bucha that.
The witches come out.
The witches come out.
Because it’s when dark falls.
Over Bucha that.
The ‘orcs’ attack drones.
Start swarming.
When Bucha was taken over.
‘Orcs’ forces began going.
House to house.
They raped and they murdered.
Then one day.
A rumour spread that.
The occupiers were coming.
To kill the children.
“For the decision.
I took that day.
I will never forgive the ‘orcs’.”
This woman confides.
You won’t share.
The details of.
What she told you.
– the extreme decision she took –
Only that the soldiers.
Never came and.
She never had to.
Act on it.
It’s when dark falls.
Over Bucha that.
The witches come out.
The witches come out.
Because it’s when dark falls.
Over Bucha that.
The ‘orcs’ attack drones.
Start swarming.
But this woman.
Has been haunted by.
That moment ever since.
And by guilt.
The first time she felt relief.
Was when she began.
Learning to defend herself.
Her family and her country.
“Coming here really helped.”
She says quietly.
“Because I won’t ever sit.
Like a victim again.”
“Because I won’t ever sit.
Like a victim again.
And be so very afraid.”
“Coming here really helped.”
It’s when dark falls.
Over Bucha that.
The witches come out.
The witches come out.
Because it’s when dark falls.
Over Bucha that.
The ‘orcs’ attack drones.
Start swarming.
*Because I read “’It’s scary – but so’s giving birth’: The female unit gunning down Russian drones” by Sarah Rainsford on 15 Oct 2024, and also “Why are Ukrainians calling Russians ‘orcs’?” by James FitzGerald on 30 Apr 2022, on the BBC news.
So, I wrote this poem as a story of the Witches of Bucha, including Valentyna, Serhiy, Inna, Yulia, Andriy Verlaty, and Anya.
Please read the original story on the BBC news:
Ukraine war: Meet Bucha’s female unit who gun down Russian drones
**My friend kindly shows you this poem in one page of the Ukrainian website for their children and others!
Kurama (Japan). 33 poems about the russian invasion of Ukraine (2024 events) – Мала Сторінка
Please join them! You can read my 33 poems here at once.
