An ‘orcs’ court.
Has sentenced.
Two ‘orcs’ soldiers.
To life in prison.
For killing.
a family of nine.
In occupied Ukraine.
In a rare example.
Of the country.
Holding its troops.
To account for.
Alleged war crimes.
The family had been.
Celebrating a birthday.
At the time.
Celebrating a birthday.
Blood-splattered and.
Bullet-riddled bodies.
Have been found.
In a private house.
The killings in Volnovakha.
Come as fierce fighting.
Continues on the vast battle front.
Of ‘elves’ eastern and southern regions.
Nine people.
Including two.
Young children.
Have been found.
Shot dead in their house.
In the ‘orcs’-occupied.
Eastern ‘elves’ town.
Of Volnovakha.
‘Elves’ officials say.
They believe ‘orcs’ soldiers.
Killed the whole of.
The family on 27 October.
For refusing.
To give them their house.
‘Orcs’ investigators say.
Two male suspects.
Two male suspects.
Have been held.
Saying they are ‘orcs’ soldiers.
From the Far East.
Ukraine and ‘Mordor’.
Have begun separate.
Investigations.
Into the attack.
Blood-splattered and.
Bullet-riddled bodies.
Have been found.
In a private house.
The killings in Volnovakha.
Come as fierce fighting.
Continues on the vast battle front.
Of ‘elves’ eastern and southern regions.
The ‘elves’-controlled Donetsk.
Prosecutor’s office.
Citing preliminary information.
Said the attackers.
In army uniforms.
Shot the family dead.
After their demand to vacate.
The house had been rejected.
Two children.
Born in 2014.
And 2018.
Were among the victims.
Blood-splattered and.
Bullet-riddled bodies.
Have been found.
In a private house.
The killings in Volnovakha.
Come as fierce fighting.
Continues on the vast battle front.
Of ‘elves’ eastern and southern regions.
One ‘orcs’ news channel.
On Telegram.
Earlier quoted.
The victims’ neighbours.
As blaming the ‘orcs’ military.
For the killings.
“All of the neighbours.
Are saying that.”
“The killers were.
In the military.
We’re all scared.”
One neighbour said.
Another ‘orcs’ Telegram channel.
Said members of.
The household had.
Had “a conflict”.
Had “a conflict with.
Unidentified men.
Wearing military fatigues.
With no insignia”.
Blood-splattered and.
Bullet-riddled bodies.
Have been found.
In a private house.
The killings in Volnovakha.
Come as fierce fighting.
Continues on the vast battle front.
Of ‘elves’ eastern and southern regions.
Volnovakha was captured.
By ‘orcs’ forces.
Just weeks after the start.
Of the full-scale invasion.
Of Ukraine in February.
2022.
Most of the town.
Has been destroyed.
Kyiv launched its.
Counter-offensive in June.
Trying to split the occupying.
‘Orcs’ troops.
In the southern Kherson.
And Zaporizhzhia regions in two.
And make their resupply.
More difficult.
So far, the ‘elvres’ advance.
Has been slow and costly.
As the ‘orcs’ have had time to.
Prepare their defensive lines.
In recent weeks.
‘Orcs’ have also been.
On the attack near.
The key city of Avdiivka.
In the Donetsk region.
As well as Kupyansk.
In the north-eastern.
Kharkiv region.
‘Elves’ military says.
All ‘orcs’ attacks.
Have been “unsuccessful”.
Reporting heavy ‘orcs’ casualties.
Around Avdiivka.
– a gateway to the ‘orcs’-held.
Regional capital.
Of Donetsk.
Blood-splattered and.
Bullet-riddled bodies.
Have been found.
In a private house.
The killings in Volnovakha.
Come as fierce fighting.
Continues on the vast battle front.
Of ‘elves’ eastern and southern regions.
An ‘orcs’ court.
Has sentenced.
Two ‘orcs’ soldiers.
To life in prison.
For killing.
a family of nine.
In occupied Ukraine.
In a rare example.
Of the country.
Holding its troops.
To account for.
Alleged war crimes.
The family had been.
Celebrating a birthday.
At the time.
Celebrating a birthday.
Blood-splattered and.
Bullet-riddled bodies.
Have been found.
In a private house.
The killings in Volnovakha.
Come as fierce fighting.
Continues on the vast battle front.
Of ‘elves’ eastern and southern regions.
Some details of.
The case are unclear.
Such as whether.
The soldiers pleaded guilty.
As the trial was held.
Behind closed doors.
Due to military secrecy.
‘Orcs’ media reported.
They were convicted of.
Killing a 53-year-old.
His wife, their adult sons.
With their wives.
A nine-year-old granddaughter.
A four-year-old grandson.
And a more distant relative.
Of the family.
Blood-splattered and.
Bullet-riddled bodies.
Have been found.
In a private house.
The killings in Volnovakha.
Come as fierce fighting.
Continues on the vast battle front.
Of ‘elves’ eastern and southern regions.
‘Elves’ officials.
At the time said.
They believed the family.
Was murdered.
For refusing.
To give up.
Their house to.
The ‘orcs’ troops.
‘Orcs’ state news agency.
Reported that the men.
Had been convicted.
For murder.
“Motivated by political.
Ideological, racial.
National or.
Religious hatred”.
Blood-splattered and.
Bullet-riddled bodies.
Have been found.
In a private house.
The killings in Volnovakha.
Come as fierce fighting.
Continues on the vast battle front.
Of ‘elves’ eastern and southern regions.
‘Mordor’ denies all allegations.
Of war crimes in Ukraine.
Despite well-documented.
Evidence to the contrary.
This includes.
The bombing of.
A theatre.
In Mariupol.
Which had been sheltering.
Hundreds of people.
In March.
2022.
‘Mordor’ denies all allegations.
Of war crimes in Ukraine.
Despite well-documented.
Evidence to the contrary.
And this includes.
The killing of.
Hundreds of people in.
The town of Bucha that month.
‘Orcs’ forces are also.
Accused of running.
A network of torture chambers.
Across occupied Ukraine.
Where civilians.
And prisoners of war.
Are tortured and.
In some cases killed.
Blood-splattered and.
Bullet-riddled bodies.
Have been found.
In a private house.
The killings in Volnovakha.
Come as fierce fighting.
Continues on the vast battle front.
Of ‘elves’ eastern and southern regions.
An ‘orcs’ court.
Has sentenced.
Two ‘orcs’ soldiers.
To life in prison.
For killing.
a family of nine.
In occupied Ukraine.
In a rare example.
Of the country.
Holding its troops.
To account for.
Alleged war crimes.
The family had been.
Celebrating a birthday.
At the time.
Celebrating a birthday.
*Because I read “Ukraine war: Whole family shot dead in Russian-occupied Ukrainian town” by Vitaly Shevchenko & Jaroslav Lukiv on 31 Oct 2023, “Russia jails soldiers who killed entire family in Ukraine” by Hafsa Khalil on 9 Nov 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, about a story of the Kapkanets family, which means Eduard, Tatiana, their adult sons with their wives, a granddaughter, a grandson, and a more distant relative.
Please read the original stories on the BBC news:
Ukraine war: Whole family shot dead in Russian-occupied Ukrainian town
Russia-Ukraine war: Russia jails soldiers who killed entire family in Ukraine
