Residents Return to a Charred and Changed Bucha in Ukraine

Ukrainian soldiers inspect a destroyed house, amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine, in Bucha, in Kyiv region, Ukraine, April 6, 2022. (Reuters)
Ukrainian soldiers inspect a destroyed house, amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine, in Bucha, in Kyiv region, Ukraine, April 6, 2022. (Reuters)
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Residents Return to a Charred and Changed Bucha in Ukraine

Ukrainian soldiers inspect a destroyed house, amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine, in Bucha, in Kyiv region, Ukraine, April 6, 2022. (Reuters)
Ukrainian soldiers inspect a destroyed house, amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine, in Bucha, in Kyiv region, Ukraine, April 6, 2022. (Reuters)

Before the war in Ukraine, Bohdan Zubchuk's job as a community police officer involved patrolling the quiet streets of Bucha outside Kyiv and dealing with petty crime, while handling minor complaints from residents.

Walking down a street where the bodies of multiple victims were found after Russian troops retreated late last month, the 29-year-old said his hometown and his job would never be the same.

"We will never forget everything we saw here, this will stay with us for our whole lives," he said.

The town became known around the world after images emerged of dead civilians in the streets last week, triggering an international outcry.

Since the Russians left, Zubchuk said he and his fellow community police officers have been tasked with assisting traumatized survivors with everything from receiving humanitarian aid to checking for unexploded ordnance around town.

Ukrainian officials say hundreds of civilians have been found dead since the Russians' withdrawal. The deputy mayor of Bucha has said 360 civilians were killed during the Russian occupation. Reuters could not independently verify those figures.

Russia, which has repeatedly denied targeting civilians since the Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine, has called the allegations that Russian forces executed civilians in Bucha while they occupied the town a "monstrous forgery" aimed at denigrating the Russian army.

Reuters has witnessed the remains of five victims in Bucha who were shot through the head. One had his hands tied behind his back. Another his feet tied. Reuters has not been able to independently determine who was responsible.

By Saturday, local workers and residents had already removed the bodies from the street, but there were still patches of ash and charred cement left behind from shelling.

"Every time I patrol this street I'll be thinking back about what happened here," Zubchuk said.

On Friday, forensic investigators began the exhumation of remains from a mass grave in Bucha, carefully lifting bodies out of a muddy trench to examine and identify them.

In the weeks following the arrival of Russian forces in Bucha, Zubchuk said he and his fellow officers hid in basements and continued working until they fled the city with their families.

Zubchuk said Russian soldiers were scouring the town for local police officers and men with military experience during the occupation.

An 'island' of calm

Elsewhere in Bucha on Saturday, volunteers in bright vests swept up debris and workers in hard hats removed what remained of destroyed Russian tanks with heavy cranes.

Moscow calls the war a "special operation" to demilitarize and "denazify" its neighbor. Ukraine and its allies say this is a baseless pretext for war.

Valerie Lysenko was one of many residents who returned to Bucha to see the damage first hand. Lysenko said she fled her hometown a little over a week after Russian troops rolled into Bucha.

Before the war Lysenko said she was always inviting her friends to visit Bucha, telling them it was an "island" of calm outside of Kyiv with beautiful parks and great infrastructure.

Now, the name of her town had become synonymous with war and the suffering of civilians.

"The only thing they know (of Bucha) is people dead, people with their hands tied, people tortured, murdered and this just breaks my heart," she said.

"If I say I'm in pain it's only one percent of what I'm feeling," she said.



What Role Did the ‘Mossad-Tehran Branch’ Play in Operation Rising Lion?

People gather near a damaged building, in the aftermath of Israeli strikes, in Tehran, Iran, June 13, 2025. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS
People gather near a damaged building, in the aftermath of Israeli strikes, in Tehran, Iran, June 13, 2025. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS
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What Role Did the ‘Mossad-Tehran Branch’ Play in Operation Rising Lion?

People gather near a damaged building, in the aftermath of Israeli strikes, in Tehran, Iran, June 13, 2025. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS
People gather near a damaged building, in the aftermath of Israeli strikes, in Tehran, Iran, June 13, 2025. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS

Just hours after launching its military operation “Rising Lion” against Iran, Israel revealed an extensive and long-standing intelligence campaign conducted by its spy agency Mossad deep inside Iranian territory, especially in the capital, where it reportedly established a covert branch.

According to an Israeli security source on Friday, Mossad special units carried out a series of covert operations inside Iran in the lead-up to the strikes. These included deploying precision-guided weapons near surface-to-air missile sites, using advanced technology to disrupt Iranian air defenses, and establishing a drone launch base close to Tehran.

The source said Friday’s operation was a joint effort between the Israeli military, Mossad, and the country’s defense industry, built on years of meticulous planning and intelligence-gathering. Israeli media, including Yedioth Ahronoth, reported that Mossad had established the drone base long before the strike, with explosive-laden UAVs later launched toward Iranian missile sites.

The attack reflects Israel’s broader, long-term strategy toward Iran, built on the combined efforts of its military and intelligence services. While Iran has maintained that the strikes were conducted entirely from outside the country, seeking to avoid acknowledging serious internal security breaches, Israel insists that Mossad played a decisive role on the ground.

The agency is credited with assassinations of IRGC and Iranian military figures, data collection on nuclear scientists, and compiling a high-value target list.

An Israeli security source claimed Mossad established a “branch” inside Tehran, planting surveillance devices across dozens of locations and even executing sabotage operations near nuclear facilities and missile launch sites.

While some analysts view these claims as psychological warfare or propaganda, evidence from past operations suggests a degree of credibility. Over the years, Israel has conducted bold, complex missions inside Iran that appear too sophisticated to have originated solely from outside.

Mossad’s activity in Iran dates back years but intensified significantly in the last two. According to Israeli sources, the agency effectively set up a wide-reaching operational base inside Iran, complete with advanced equipment and transport assets.

Mossad has been linked to the assassinations of at least four Iranian nuclear scientists: Masoud Alimohammadi, Majid Shahriari, Darioush Rezaeinejad, and Mostafa Ahmadi Roshan - between 2010 and 2012 - most of them killed using magnetic bombs in central Tehran. In 2020, top nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh was assassinated in an ambush attributed to a Mossad unit.

The most high-profile operation came in 2018, when Mossad agents reportedly stole Iran’s nuclear archive, including 50,000 documents and 163 CDs, from a Tehran warehouse in a seven-hour raid. According to former Mossad chief Yossi Cohen, who oversaw the mission, the 20-member team (none of whom were Israeli nationals) operated inside Iran for two years before executing the mission undetected.

Though Iranian officials initially dismissed the scale of the operation, they later claimed to have arrested “all the terrorists” who helped Mossad, blaming opposition groups like the MEK. However, Israel insists it relied not on political dissidents, but on individuals disillusioned with the regime, mercenaries, and Western intelligence support.

A retired Mossad officer, known only as Brig. Gen. “A”, told the right-wing Israeli group The Guardians that Iran’s internal repression and isolation have left it vulnerable. He stressed the close cooperation between Mossad, Israeli military intelligence, and the defense industry in preparing for the confrontation with Iran.

Operation “Rising Lion,” launched this week, included direct strikes on neighborhoods housing top IRGC commanders in Tehran. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant described it as a “preemptive strike,” following warnings from US President Donald Trump about an imminent Israeli military operation targeting Iran’s nuclear infrastructure.