"Before" and "after" the invasion: what the destroyed Ukrainian cities looked like before and their current appearance (photos)

The full-scale invasion of Russia into Ukraine has become the most severe military conflict on the European continent since World War II. Even the combat actions in the Balkans at the end of the 20th century were not as brutal and bloody. Russian occupiers ruthlessly destroy Ukrainian cities and villages. Missiles and drones strike residential buildings and civilian infrastructure.

Russia simply wipes off the map the settlements along the confrontation lines, as its forces try to advance further and seize more Ukrainian territory. Avdiivka, Bakhmut, Soledar, Maryinka and many others are now just points on a map. Not a single intact building remains there.

To the second anniversary of the full-scale invasion, TSN.ua prepared material on how destroyed and ruined Ukrainian cities looked before and after the beginning of the full-scale invasion.

Volnovakha

It should be noted that even before the full-scale invasion, Volnovakha suffered from Russian shelling. For example, on January 13, 2015, occupiers shelled a passenger bus, resulting in the death of 12 people and injuring 18 others.

The bus that was shelled / Photo: YouTube However, despite the proximity to the front line, throughout all "eight years when the Donbas was being bombed," as they said, the city lived a peaceful, as much as possible, life.

Volnovakha is perhaps one of the first settlements that were completely destroyed by Russia during the full-scale invasion. The city is an important transport hub, and the occupiers tried to seize it in the first days of the big war.

On February 27, 2022, the occupiers initially seized Volnovakha, but were soon ousted from the city by the Ukrainian army. Until March 12, when the Russians again seized Volnovakha, they mercilessly shelled the city.

The State Emergency Service report for March 12, 2022 Now the remaining small population lives without electricity, water, and heating, standing day after day in lines for free food.

Mariupol

During the siege of Mariupol and Azovstal, the Russians practically destroyed this city - a large industrial center of southern Ukraine, in which more than 400,000 people lived before the full-scale invasion.

This is what Mariupol looked like when it "was being bombed during eight years".

And this is how it looks after the "liberation" by the Russians

Now the occupiers are trying to create the impression of "restoration" of the city: they are demolishing damaged residential buildings, evicting local residents from them, and hastily constructing new ones.

New building on the site of the "House with a clock" in Mariupol / Screenshot However, the new buildings are not inhabited by locals but by imported Russians, who are supposed to play the role of Gauleiters. These include law enforcement officers, the so-called "administration," teachers who will indoctrinate Mariupol's children with the "Russian world," and others.

The legendary "Azovstal" plant before the war

and after

Severodonetsk and Lysychansk

Severodonetsk and Lysychansk of Luhansk region became acquainted with the "Russian world" back in 2014. But on July 22 and 24, 2014, respectively, both cities were liberated. After the occupation of Luhansk, Severodonetsk became the administrative center of the region.

Together with Lysychansk, they formed an agglomeration.

And this is what these cities became after the arrival of the "Russian world".

And even after more than 1.5 years of occupation, the Russians are not going to restore these cities. These are fresh photos from Severodonetsk, published on social networks.

Soledar

Such was Soledar in April 2022. At that time, the "liberators" had not yet reached here.

The decision of the Ukrainian command to leave Soledar was announced on January 25, 2023. Ukraine took such a step in order to preserve the lives of its soldiers. And this is what it became after the arrival of the Russians.

Bakhmut

The battle for Bakhmut was one of the bloodiest during the full-scale invasion.

Bakhmut was like that before.

And this is what it's became now.

But not only Donbas suffered at the hands of the Russian occupiers. The regions of Slobozhanshchyna, Zaporizhzhia, and even Sivershchyna, which are located far from the front lines but close to Russia, constantly suffer from devastating Russian shelling.

Orikhiv

For example, the front-line town of Orikhiv in Zaporizhzhia region is 95% destroyed due to constant Russian shelling. According to the Head of the Regional Military Administration, Fedorov, the streets of the town are deserted. People hide not only from daily but from hourly explosions, which can be heard constantly, sometimes far away, sometimes very close. The Russians mercilessly destroy the city with guided aerial bombs and other shells.

And before Orikhiv was like that.

Kherson

We have shown only some cities that were destroyed due to Russia's full-scale aggression. In reality, there are many more destroyed settlements, and the occupiers continue to do this day by day.

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