Today, 31 March 2025, marks exactly three years since Bucha, a small town near Kyiv, breathed freedom once again. Three years since Ukrainian soldiers drove out the Russian invaders, leaving behind the terrible traces of 33 days of terror. Bucha has become more than just a name on a map – it has become a symbol that burns the heart like a hot pepper of truth, while warming the soul with the warmth of indomitability.
Those 33 days in 2022 were hell on earth. More than 420 civilians – men, women, children – were tortured, shot, and killed just because they were Ukrainians, because they lived on their own land. Destroyed houses, burned dreams, ruined lives. The images from the streets of Bucha – bodies with their hands tied, abandoned in the open air – have spread around the world, becoming an eternal testament to the atrocities the enemy is capable of. But even in this hell, Bucha did not surrender. Neither bullets, nor fear, nor death broke its spirit.
Today we stand on this land again – not only physically, but also in our thoughts and hearts. We remember every victim: those who did not wait for liberation, those whose names are engraved in the history of the city, and those whose stories are still waiting to be told. Bucha is not just pain. It is a cry that woke up the world, and at the same time a quiet force that reminds us that we survived.
Three years later, the city is coming back to life. Walls are being rebuilt, wounds are healing – although the scars will remain forever. But there is a victory in every new roof, in every child’s laughter that echoes through the streets. The victory of life over death, of love over hate, of Ukraine over darkness. Bucha teaches us to appreciate every day, to hold on to each other and never forget the price of freedom.
So let the memory of Bucha be like a pepper – sharp, burning, and never letting us calm down or forget. And may the soul of this city, which survived hell, warm us with its warmth and remind us that we are unbreakable. We remember. And we are moving forward.
Glory to Ukraine! Glory to the heroes!
Author : Marianna Nyzhnia
