Making a Roadblock at Vokzalna Street

Death in Bucha's Gray Zone, Part 3: Making a Roadblock at Vokzalna Street

June 12, 2022 (rough, incomplete)

updates June 14, June 17, July 22...

By the end of February, the swift Russian offensive to encircle Kiev was halted at the edges of Bucha and Irpin, with some drastic measures that ushered them into the "gray zone." This is a corollary of Ukraine's chosen "total defense" policy, by which civilian neighborhoods are enlisted as battle zones, with schools, hospitals, and homes used to base artillery and snipers, making them legitimate military targets. In admitted defiance of international norms, Ukrainian forces have followed this policy despite the clear risk to the populace, who admittedly cannot be evacuated in many cases. (WaPo, archive) 

In Bucha, the first days in late February mixed open urban resistance with artillery, but for most of the time afterwards, there would be no (normal, open) military presence in homes or anywhere inside the city. Rather they left it to the enemy to occupy Bucha, but at great cost, both to them and to the city's residents, as Kiev tried to control and degrade Russian force remotely with artillery and drones. They would make Bucha into a trap, that would include some half the populace through the worst of it. It was called a "gray zone."

Part 2 covered the partly successful but probably accidental Russian effort to cross a bridge from Bucha to the Kiev outskirts, early on February 25. Here we look at a genuine effort, two days later, at crossing a different river - or a big creek - between Bucha and Irpin. This ended in massive disaster for the column and for the neighborhood it was in, in a first strong taste of what "gray zone" would come to mean. 

Another Ill-Fated Crossing

Early on the 27th, a large column of Russian tanks, BMPs, other armored fighting vehicles and support trucks set out from the Kiev suburb of Hostomel (Gostomel), where they had first based themselves on the 24th. They headed south, and were first seen just entering Bucha's northern outskirts sometime before OSINT Technical's posting on Twitter at 9:12 AM (a Youtube posting) The scene was geolocated by Collapse Into Now. Massive smoke is rising in the distance, probably from the Antonov airport in Hostomel, where Ukraine claimed attacks on Russian forces this day. At least 12 tanks or AFVs are seen here driving along Bucha's central Vokzal'na or Vokzalnaya ("Station") street. Reports say there were some 30 vehicles in total.

This column apparently had a very serious mission, but the first or northernmost action we see is slightly comical. In a morning view, posted 8:56 AM local time (but likely recorded some time earlier). 4 or perhaps 5 AFVs are seen driving south on Vokzalna just passing the Novus store, mostly at a speedy clip. The front one fires repeatedly at and near a mounted AFV that's served for years as a monument to Soviet fighters in Afghanistan. Others fire sporadically as they pass, directly hitting the monument's base. A light pole ff to the left is hit, and topples over at the video's end. It seems like a silly incident that had some laughing and had me wondering. But the monument might have looked like a real threat, and maybe some enemy was actually shooting at them moments earlier. (Is it possible for attackers to climb inside the monument and actually fire from inside of it?)

The next placeable view is from a video filmed from behind the Continent mall in the middle of Bucha, posted 8:47 AM but probably filmed at least a few minutes earlier, it came with a map: "Bucha: The route of the Russians based on the published videos. In a panic retreated from Gostomel" A mapped, at least a few tanks are headed west where Vokzalna inconveniently breaks at the railroad tracks - at least 3 that have crossed the tracks are seen passing west before a final turn south, when they stop amid the sound of shooting or explosions in the mid-distance.  (2 visible here, in red) This is all mapped out below.

Somewhere on the way, a Novynarnia daily summary reported, at "about eight" in the morning in Bucha, "a convoy of Russian armored vehicles and cars of about 30 units passed through the city. The last locals burned with a Molotov cocktail." Novynarnia: "These events were announced during a briefing by advisor to the head of the OPU (Office of the President of Ukraine) Alexey Arestovich: "local residents also joined the fight: some Russian BMDs of Russian paratroopers were burned with Molotov cocktails right in Bucha," 

Cited there was a short video posted by The Last Checkpoint on Telegram, posted 8:26 AM: "The occupier got lost in Bucha and has already received a portion of Molotov from the locals, the equipment is on fire." The blurry view through trees and backyards is hard to read or place. A logical spot for this to happen is around the bend at the tracks, and as shown here, the junction just north of the scene discussed above is the likely origin of some light smoke seen around noon. But homes were reported burning there as well (Zhovtneva st. - Ukrinform). Maybe the locals did like some folks in Odessa once allegedly did - forgot to open their windows before throwing their Molotov cocktails? No. More likely, there was some real weapon firing by both sides and some collateral damage from that. 

Despite apparent attacks on the way, it seems the column carried on south down Vokzalna, where a few AFVs are seen in a video report from Bucha filed by Japanese TBS/NewsDig. A local on Yablunska street, at the south edge of Bucha, showed a video taken on Feb. 27, in the morning by sunlight (see below). Facing roughly west, this shows 3 tanks speeding south down Vokzalna street, across Yablunska, towards Irpin - across the exposed area I've come to call mortar alley. Some distant gunfire is heard as the second tank passes, then louder, closer gunfire as soon as the 3rd one passes, seeming to startle the person recording so they take cover.  

It's not very clear in a still frame, but one of the passing vehicles is marked here in red. Some odd graffiti is seen on the yellow fence at left, A better view of that from April is added beneath.

In English, this says KIROO (a nickname?), "live fast," dollar signs, and 1488 - often a White Power reference to the writings of David Lane and Adolf Hitler. I had wondered if some ultranationalists turning back the Russian occupation later on had left these marks first noticed in April. But they were present by the morning of February 27, maybe predating the invasion, or maybe done by some Ukrainian defenders already based here. 

Other graffiti just meters away across the intersection says @vshop_18. I'm not sure what it means,  but Petri Krohn on Twitter found at a link that's now dead: "High paying job "Those who are seriously looking for a highly paid job as a courier in Odessa and any other city in Ukraine, go to this link using the Tor browser http://knoa6ewvkei5vfox.onion or contact us in the @vshop_18 cart." Petri added the tags: #Narcotics #Crime. There may be more to say on this in time.

At least one of those AFVs seen rushing south made it across the bridge, over the Bucha river, and into northern Irpin. Here they were routed, perhaps with missiles or with powerful anti-tank weapons. One wrecked vehicle seen at the south end of the Giraffe mall, with its distinctive ... damaged. sign says "Welcome to Hell" - widely shown all over this eventual front-line area. smoking to the right below 

A net-camouflaged Ukrainian AFV sits on the side of this ambush spot where the Russians were finished off by fighters flying a red-and-black flag. The same flag - probably of or linked to Right Sector - was seen in part 2, where the Russians were stopped on the E373, also just outside Bucha. Is this another part of how this neo-Nazi organization earned the clout to be incorporated into Ukraine's armed forces like the Azov battalion was? As covered in another post ("some horrors"), it was under this flag 4 Russian soldiers were seen dead near the mall, and 2 of them were stripped of valuables and laid out on some old train tracks (just off-frame to the left). They were left out for over a month, covered for a time, then deliberately burned along the way, and passed off, by some, as civilians killed by the Russians in Bucha. 

This scene was filmed at the south end of the Giraffe Mall in Irpin, which was seriously damaged and set ablaze, along with a building across the street. Smoke was seen rising, a slightly pea soup color. Clearly, that's the same seen from a distance on the right line of sight (I checked) from southern Bucha. It's still morning, but apparently there has still been no massive attack on Vokzalna, just off frame to the right. I estimate the solar azimuth as close to 130 or 131 degrees, or around 9:05 AM. 

A second smoke plume rises about the same distance south, on a different line of sight, suggesting an industrial area just east of the mall (me on Twitter). I have limited views of the area, but one drone video shows part of it, including a burned building in the indicated zone (me). There seems to be no footage of what happened there.

Smoke plumes are seen around 11:30 at Giraffe Mall, not clearly in the industrial area, but south of there at a high-rise at 146 Soborna st. (me). It's not clear how that building came to be damaged, if that might be its smoke seen at 9:05 (I don't think so, but perhaps), or if it was only damaged later.  Consider that just one AFV was clearly seen destroyed at the mall, there will be 2+ unaccounted for. Maybe one drove into the industrial area and was hit around 9:00, while another managed to shoot a sniper perch around 11AM before it was finally stopped somewhere else, a bit later. This is not all clear, nor central to the main story.

Side-note: A wrecked tank's remains were filmed on the 27th in front of a Sinsay store I cannot locate (me) - Novynarnia showed video of it to report on clashes in Irpin - it was said by others to be in Bucha and said to be in Irpin . But the video and other postings are clear that was in Mykolaiv, which can be confirmed. (me)

The distant smoke photo was posted and widely taken as showing the bridge to Irpin had been blown up (e.g. Ponomarenko). But that would be on a slightly different line of sight and nearer, and this bridge never was demolished like that. But a major roadblock north of the river was coming. 

Maybe after that rout, or the shooting that preceded it, the rest of the Russian column turned back north, up Vokzalna street. They're seen by a surveillance camera driving north past house #33 at what it says is 9:10 AM, some 5 minutes after the above photo. (postings: Stand with Ukraine - Sandeep Bhati at 9:40 AM Asjad Munir at 9:32 AM: "Now Bucha, [Vokzalna] 40. They are going towards the center Molotov cocktails at the ready! Video Capture From Ukrainian House CCTV."  

Lobbing bottles out one's window at that moment would have been a rather bad idea. This should be moments before the soldiers were massively shelled in an artillery or missile attack and largely annihilated. It might be the video cuts just then because the camera was destroyed, or just lost its view when the window at #40 was blown in. It's not totally clear how the footage was obtained, uploaded, and re-uploaded within 22 minutes. The clock might be off, but it is about that time, or perhaps even later, by solar angles. (sun shining up the street, but lighting the east sides as well, so it has to be well before 10:30, when the sun would hit 151 degrees like the street). 

A map for all this & below before we pause on this area. Other damaged locales in the north - Novus, 101 Vokzalna - are covered in part 4.

A Long Block of Hell

The aftermath of the attack on the Russian column is widely seen in many photos and videos, including the photo at right, facing north up Vokzalna street, filled with wreckage for some 400 meters between Yablunska and Sadova streets. 

One early video is especially popular - Radio Svoboda posting with handy subtitles. It's mid-afternoon by sunlight, and some spots are still burning (panoramic view below). The earliest Twitter posting I found is by Illia Ponomarenko at 2:57 PM local time, with many following from 3 PM onward. It was probably filmed between 2:30 and 2:50. The local filming is upset that so many home had to be destroyed, but he only blames the Russians, with agitated vulgarity. 

Earlier yet is a video I recently stumbled on, posted by Eagle_Eye on the 28th: "The #Hostomel, #Bucha, #Irpin area has turned into a giant graveyard for the #Russian invaders." Tanks and houses are not just still burning but getting worse - gun turrets are seen bursting into flames, ammunition heard detonating dangerously, as thickening smoke blots out the sun's light. casting a hellish pall over the street. Below is a panoramic view looking at #44 Voknalna as that tank's turret lights up. Later it would pop off like others did. The videographer is likely military-linked to be here this early and to be so composed.

At the end of that video, the corpse of an apparent Russian soldier is shown under a toppled tree, half his head blown off. An army-looking jacket is laid next to him, but not on, and camouflage pants help clarify it's not a civilian. A stray boot also lies nearby. 

Below is a graphic made from an Azov Battalion drone view of March 23, with addresses (per Google Maps) added, and a lot of other notes. Basic count: 13+ 1at least 18 military vehicles (mainly tanks/AFVs, one fuel tanker) were destroyed, damaged, or otherwise stuck left on the street, some in small pieces. This process also destroyed at least eleven houses (Vokzalna #20, 23, 25, 25a, 26, 28, 30, 32, 34, 42, 44), and badly damaged at least 8 more. It seems at least one civilian car on the street was obliterated near the north end (most are parked off the street). There may have been direct hits to homes; in spots, the damage seems far beyond what would be caused by exploding tanks out front. This applies at least to the homes #30, 32, and 34.

Damage Control

How many civilians were killed or injured in all that? Officially, it sounds like none. Bucha's Mayor Anatoly Fedoruk made a visit to this hellish scene, apparently on the 28th and still smoldering, and filmed himself in front of #21 (one video posting). As BigKyiv summarized his statements: "According to the mayor, the column of enemy equipment was completely destroyed, there are no casualties among the defenders and civilians - this is the main thing. It remains to restore the city and private houses that suffered during the battle." "Casualties" (втрат) usually includes deaths and injuries. He claims no civilians were even injured in all this, which is highly unlikely. Hopefully most people were evacuated, away, or hiding in their basements, having guessed what kind of defense Kiev had decided on for them. Even then, there might be a few killed just here, plus many wounded. Otherwise there might be dozens killed. But however many it was, they were in the end quite likely passed off as killed by the Russians, perhaps all by shooting. 

Just two apparently civilian bodies are known here on this street: two men found in the yard of 17a, one of the less damaged houses. (explanatory tweet) It doesn't seem like they were killed in the shelling of the 27th coming from the street, but maybe by some shells sent later to kill Russian troops hiding in backyards; punctures in the south fence show fragments or perhaps bullets coming from the other side, between 17 and 17a. (Overview image at right, or with update tweet). A New York Times report heard "some of the Russian soldiers who survived the blast escaped into people’s yards, residents said. Two bodies in the garden of one house farther up the street" - almost certainly a reference to this scene - "were probably those of Russian soldiers, said Kostiantyn Momotov, who lived nearby. The men had cast off their army uniforms and boots, he said, pointing to a camouflage jacket on the ground" - maybe the one we've seen going with a dead soldier 16 houses from 17a, and pointing to no second jacket, pants, boots, or anything else - then they "put on civilian clothes" - 2 full, fitting sets they found - "possibly to avoid capture, he said. Both men had been shot in the head" when the ruse totally failed. The shelling through the fence is not mentioned. Maybe they were soldiers, or civilians injured in shelling meant for soldiers, then executed. Or maybe they were shelled later, and body 1 at least appears executed with a shot to the head, after he was already down - likely from that ignored shelling. 

Below is a composite view from a drone view in a TSN video. Compare #44 here with it in the scene above - slightly worse damage after the fire was done - the tank out front had its turret pop off since the video. "Dead soldier," as mentioned, is under that small, toppled tree. I've seen a photo of a detached and decayed human hand, set out in front of a blurry house that I found - quite easily - was Vokzalna #35 across the street. I don't need to show that here. Most likely, it's from another Russian soldier. Any killed and mutilated civilians will be buried in the rubble. I've seen one of those unburied in Irpin, and I don't need to share that either - needless to say, it's ugly. And I can hardly imagine there are none of those from all this damage.

Alexey Arestovich, military adviser to President Zelensky, said "the enemy in the morning tried to move towards the city of Bucha, Gostomel, Irpin, but came under a powerful artillery missile air strike of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The enemy is disorganized, and now only a small of his forces are resorting to attempts to conduct reconnaissance in the direction of the city of Irpin. The AFU controls the situation, destroys the enemy." (Novynarnia) It certainly was a rout, but if there were 30 vehicles to start, 1-2 lost to "Molotov cocktail" attacks, at least 3 lost in Irpin, and at least 13 lost on Vokzalna, that would be perhaps 12-13 that managed to survive and, as far as we know, return to some base.  

Mayor Fedoruk later affirmed artillery, not aircraft, was used in the attack. Ukrainian Pravda's interviewer asked in April: "was this famous column stopped at [Voknzalna/Station street] by artillery or aircraft?" Fedoruk: "Artillery, as we later found out. Because we are all at once: "Bayraktari, bayraktari!" But the artillery put everything in a filigree way." They assumed Bayraktar drones did this, but it turns out gray zone artillery defense did this intricate, delicate, work, as "filigree" (or філігранно) suggests (Merriam-Webster). 

President Zelensky himself famously visited the Vokzalna site on 4 April. Just out of curiosity I checked where he went: seen by the sign for #19a, at the colorful stray wall of #20, and next to the fuel tanker in front of #21 (at right), where was made his most pained face yet. Seeing these results of his own military's gray zone defense plan, he said "It's very difficult to talk when you see what they've done here." He brought the media to Vokzalna because "We want you to show the world what happened here. What the Russian military did." They got blown up. Zelensky described Russia's actions in Bucha - not just on this street - as "genocide." He demanded justice or else he threatened Ukrainians "will find a non-civilized solution," whatever that means. (Newsweek) 

There were efforts to blame this damage directly on the Russians. Glavred.net reported how "the Russian military is shelling residential buildings with machine guns mounted on the roofs of armored vehicles," and how "locals threw Molotov cocktails" at the column, which then "caught fire and stopped." But it didn't mention the Ukrainian military really stopping the column with such power that homes were damaged by the roofs and other parts of armored vehicles.

Ukrainian OSINT "journalists" at "Investigation-Info" wrote on March 2 how the tank column "ran into a blown-up bridge and tried to turn around," but "at the same time, the occupiers began to shoot the surrounding houses," causing all that damage just before the defenders acted. Luckily they didn't delay, because as it was, "There are dozens of such destroyed or damaged houses on this street." (archive) 

They cite "local resident Mykola, whose house was practically destroyed by the Russian military." The man shows a small piece of metal: "These are the things that came to the house."  It might be some kind of shell that's been broken, probably no more fired than the entire gun turrets, metal plates, springs and mechanisms, wheels, body parts and tree limbs that would have flown into these homes when the tanks blew up. 

A 9-story high-rise one block to the west, at 62 Vodoprovidna street, was also damaged and set afire the morning of the 27th. The image at right was posted by Ukrainian journalist Mykola Vorobiov on Twitter at 1:58 PM on the 27th. Heavy smoke from the column attack also fills the air. Seeing that this place was burned before images of March 3, I've guessed that a sniper of people or of tanks was based there and was hit in self-defense and perhaps blindly, which may be the case. Since it happened on this same day missiles were flying at the tank column, it may have been hit in the course of that attack. However, if they were firing from the south, as they most likely would be, it's unlikely they would aim that far off to the left on accident. 

Assessors and Spoils

A longer version of the famous afternoon aftermath video has the local man stepping through a broken fence at #27 to offer his thanks to two fighters, one oddly dressed, who doesn't like being filmed and pushes the camera away (right). The local totally understands, and praises Ukraine and the heroes as he goes on his way. 

One wears an armband that's debatably Russian white or Ukrainian yellow (I think yellow). I hear they speak in Russian, with an accent like they're from Russia, or certain parts of Ukraine, and highly educated (Antiwar Soldier), and they are next to one of the Russian tanks, so we must conclude they're Russians (Qoppa). 

Still, these would most logically be part of the early Ukrainian defense hobbled together from Teroborona (Territorial Defense), apparently with Right Sector, etc. and reportedly with Georgian units, and possibly other foreigners, These might dress differently from each others, and might communicate in Russian for lack of knowing each others' languages well - especially the guy in black. They might confidently hang around the site of a massive Russian defeat hours later, when Ukrainian forces should be in charge, assessing and securing the site. Any column attack survivors who were able would probably flee with the surviving vehicles or on foot and try to regroup somewhere else. I suppose a few did, but it's not clear how far they could get, nor why that would include coming back here to guard an AFV they can't expect to drive away in. That would leave them relying on Ukrainian forces not coming back and on locals misidentifying them AS Ukrainian forces - despite the Russian-speaking and white armband - so they can defend their pointless position by just shoving people around. Val, for one, agrees with me.

These men were standing at #27 next to one of at least 4 intact-looking AFVs that were found on and off the street at 19a, 27 and 36 Vokzalna, maybe another by #31. No Russians ever drove away in these, but  all seemingly taken away before that drone view above. They may have been assessing its value, or guarding its contents from looting by locals.

At #36, the two tanks were pulled behind the house (damaged even in the back from the blasts). At least one dead Russian soldier was found at this site - intact, unburnt, no visible injuries but head and face are blurred - it's not clear how he died. A former cop "Ruslan" says he strangled one surviving Russian soldier atop an AFV, because he was unarmed. But he also says other surviving Russians shot at him right after that, grazing his scalp. Neither part of his story can be confirmed as factual. DER SPIEGEL

Investigation-Info complained "The bodies of some of the occupiers are still scattered around Bucha, no one takes them away and they begin to stink." But someone took the useful weapons they found. A video of 2 days later, March 1, shows two seized AFVs driven away from this mess, moving south on Vokzal'na street under the Ukrainian flag but still marked V. Below: the "tropies" as seen from Yablunska, at a corner that would become famous exactly a month later. 

Another AFV was seized from the Irpin attack and seen driving south on the 27th, for at least three functional tanks captured and available for use. This should be kept in mind whenever a V marked tank is seen in Bucha and used as proof the Russians did this or that.

Postscript: The Killing of Tetiana Pomazanko 

The morning of the 27th might also have witnesses be the first killing of a civilian by direct Russian fire. New York Times report "In a Kyiv Suburb,‘They Shot Everyone They Saw’"(NYT - a mirror) explains how Tetiana Pomazanko ran to see a column of Russian tanks that just then "drove into the Kyiv suburb of Bucha," thinking they were Ukrainian. "But the troops opened fire on Pomazanko, 56. Bullets ripped through the wooden gate and fence around her house, killing her instantly." Tetiana's elderly mother was left to partially bury her body in the garden. As she explained, “there was so much shelling; I did not know what to do." It's not clear who was shelling who and why after the Russians had entered. In fact, I'd have to see the scene in more detail to say shelling of the column could be ruled out - sometimes when "bullets rip through" things, it's actually explosive fragments. However, there are no successful hits we know of in this spot. Shooting by nervous Russian troops seems pretty likely.

Where: NYT map places "woman killed in garden" on north Vokzalna, 650m north of Novus, just south of Instytutska street, and not far from the northern entrance to Bucha. The exact location is unclear, but a photo shows it's a little off the street, with what seems to be Vokzalna 119 visible across the way. When: "The careless shooting of Pomazanko, at 10am on February 27, was one of the first actions of Russian troops in Bucha." But even before that, another action they took in Bucha was getting largely killed. The shooting was said to happen as the Russian column entered the city. But as covered above, that happened around 8 in the morning, some 2 hours earlier. They might just have the time wrong, or they might have the direction wrong, and the column was leaving Bucha around 10 AM.

That seems likely, and it would be much smaller the second time. They were attacked around 9:10, but had probably a few vehicles surviving - 8 or less, if there were 30 to begin with, They would have many killed, wounded, trapped, and left behind, but still probably more survivors than could fit in the remaining vehicles. They might regroup somewhere near the scene, then progress north, the injured riding and many walking, tanks moving slowly or in spurts so they could stay together. They'd probably be in a foul mood but lucky to be alive, and not looking to take any further chances. They might have taken fire from buildings as they had on the way down, and would probably shoot freely in response, likely causing much of the damage we'll look at in part 4. In this way, they might pass the Pomazanko home and open fire when someone appeared too suddenly - or maybe just out of anger or malice when they saw anyone. But even the NYT didn't claim this, just calling the jumpy survivors "careless" in their accidental shooting of a somewhat careless local. 

Post-Postscript: Escape to the West 

All of the above is what it is, aside from assuming the surviving armor would return north up Vokzalna street to Gostomel. It's possible that some AFVs might have done so, and likely around 10:00 if so. However, perhaps none did and they killed Tetiana on their way in around 8:00. Surveillance video included in the Bucha 22 documentary (Suspilne video on Youtube) suggests at least 13 armored vehicles and trucks instead wound up circling the city and leaving to the west at mid-day.  

At 5:20 in the video we see least 6 vehicles driving north up Deputatska street at the city's west edge at 11:16 AM by the timestamp, and 2 more pass at 11:26 am, The scene was geolocated to a veterinary care center at 50.5440317, 30.1976089. 

Another view at 28:07 shows at least 5 AFVs passing NW on the Warsaw highway to Vorzel around solar noon by visual reading. At 1:40 in the video, the same camera sees 6 AFVs and 2 trucks seen passing a bit later. This is the walled compound of a water utility company at 50.5460151,30.1750794 - the walls and everything outside have changed since the 2015 Google Maps street view, but the interior is the same (Qoppa) These clips have no date stamp, and are presented alongside claims of up to 400 tanks that invaded Bucha on March 4, as if this showed some of those.  But the date can be verified as the same Feb. 27 by smoke seen rising from Antonov airport in Hostomel, where they started, and Vokzalna where they went next (full view but very rough). 

The airport fire is brought under control between views, while the Vokzalna-area blazes grows worse 3-4 hours after the attack. There are no time stamp, but it appears to be full solar noon in the first video (31 deg. elevation held 11:50 to 12:30), and shortly after in the other - best I can estimate is approximately 12 PM and 1 PM. 

This only makes sense too; if you came from plume 1, narrowly escaped plume 2, you'd likely go a different way, like back into Vorzel, where tanks would be hit on March 3 (see part 5). At least 13 vehicles total pass here - maybe including all 7 seen in the earlier view, or in addition. Just 13 is more than I estimated survived the attack - maybe it was a bigger column than estimated (the reported about 30 taken as 30), or other groups were around the survivors met up with. One BMP has what seems to be a camera mount - one has a lot of soldiers sitting on top, as if they had just lost some transports.