Witches of Bucha: Ukraine’s women protecting the skies

An unlikely group of fighters is on the frontline of Ukraine’s war effort against Russia. They’re called the Witches of Bucha – a group of volunteers, many of them suburban mothers, defending Ukrainian skies from drones. Their training is tough, and the stakes are high. For some, it’s a way to channel their rage. For others, it’s nerve-wracking but necessary work.

This week on Now You Know, we speak with a member of the unit about the risks these women face, why she chose this path, and what it means to her to be able to serve her country in this way.

In this episode:

Liudmyla Lysenko | Witches of Bucha Combat Unit

Episode credits:

This episode was produced by Fahrinisa Campana, Zaina Badr, and our Host, Samantha Johnson. 

Munera AlDosari is the engagement producer. Aya Elmileik is our lead of engagement.

Our sound designer is Joe Plourde. Our video editor is Catherine Hallinan. 

Jo de Frias is Now You Know’s executive producer. Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera’s head of audio.

​​Kateryna Malofieieva was our Ukraine producer.

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