Behold Russia’s ‘liberation’ Invading forces in Ukraine spent weeks conquering Volnovakha, inflicting damage so severe that the town no longer exists
The town of Volnovakha lies 60 kilometers (almost 40 miles) outside Donetsk. Or rather it used to. On March 11, Russia’s Defense Ministry announced that soldiers from the self-declared Donetsk People’s Republic had “liberated” the town. Ukrainian officials phrased this a bit differently, saying that Volnovakha no longer exists. Before Moscow’s full-scale invasion, more than 20,000 people lived here. Look at it now.
Volnovakha is a strategically vital point on the highway between Donetsk and Mariupol. Fighting for control of the town began on the first day of Russia’s full-scale invasion, February 24, 2022.
Mikhail Tereshchenko / TASS
During the battle for Volnovakha, relatively few residents managed to escape the town. The exact number of successful evacuees is unknown.
Alexander Ermochenko / Reuters / Scanpix / LETA
The exact number of people killed in fighting since the invasion is also unknown.
Anadolu Agency / ABACAPRESS / ddp images / Vida Press
This is the entrance to the hospital in Volnovakha. As a result of airstrikes and artillery bombardment, the town’s entire civilian infrastructure is now destroyed.
Mikhail Tereshchenko / TASS
Combatants in pro-Russian militia units patrol Volnovakha’s streets. Behind them, fires fed by broken gas pipes burn.
Alexander Ermochenko / Reuters / Scanpix / LETA
On March 3, during the second round of ceasefire talks between Kyiv and Moscow, negotiators agreed to open humanitarian corridors leading out of towns like Volnovakha.
Alexander Ermochenko / Reuters / Scanpix / LETA
On March 5, corridors were supposed to open to allow people to flee Volnovakha and Mariupol.
Mikhail Tereshchenko / TASS
Ukrainian officials planned for an evacuation of Volnovakha that would relocate 15,000 people.
Mikhail Tereshchenko / TASS
But invading troops started shelling the evacuation route. The Ukrainian government accused Russia of shooting at civilians. Moscow blamed “the nationalists” for refusing to allow civilians to leave the town.
Mikhail Tereshchenko / TASS
Ukrainian officials stated that several hundred Volnovakha residents nevertheless managed to escape.
Eduard Kornienko / Ura.ru / TASS
A destroyed church in Volnovakha.
Alexander Ermochenko / Reuters / Scanpix / LETA
A woman in an underground bomb shelter. According to Ukrainian lawmaker Dmytro Valeriyovych, the people of Volnovakha have been without water or electricity since the first days of March.
Mikhail Tereshchenko / TASS
Those who remain in the town are now forced to spend almost all the time in underground shelters without heat or power.
Alexander Ermochenko / Reuters / Scanpix / LETA
Alexander Ermochenko / Reuters / Scanpix / LETA
By mid-March, Volnovakha became uninhabitable.
Taisiya Vorontsova / Kommersant
When the battle for the town was still underway, Volnovakha residents were forced to bury their loved ones immediately outside their homes, unable to risk proper burials at cemeteries.
Alexander Ermochenko / Reuters / Scanpix / LETA
A tank emblazoned with Russia’s pro-invasion “Z” symbol on Volnovakha’s outskirts.
Alexander Ermochenko / Reuters / Scanpix / LETA