Liberated Land. Is the Worst Behind?
- Documentation is ongoing
- Serhii Korovayny
- DonetskKharkiv
- 01.09.2023 - 31.03.2024
- Serhii Korovainyi, author
- [email protected]
In the fall of 2022, the Armed Forces of Ukraine conducted a lightning-fast Kharkiv offensive and liberated territories in the Kharkiv and Donetsk oblasts. The liberated territories revealed more crimes of the Russian Federation: the mass grave in Izium, where 449 Ukrainians are buried, is the most powerful example.
However, with the end of the occupation, poverty did not end for the locals. Because of the hostilities, the region turned into a humanitarian disaster zone, where people had no housing, and no access to water, heating, or gas. Mass graves and damaged buildings scarred the land. Izium and Sviatohirsk resemble ghost towns where burned houses remind us of last year’s fighting. Kupiansk and Lyman remain targets for the Russian invaders and are regularly shelled. Villages like Bohorodychne, Dolyna, and others remain deserted ruins.
This story shows the life of the residents of the cities and villages of the liberated districts of Kharkiv and Donetsk oblasts.