Photo report: How a key Lugansk region city, devastated by retreating Ukrainians, is springing back to life

 

By Arseniy Kotov, independent photojournalist

Severodonetsk was Kiev's main fortress in the region, but when its troops realized the game was up they took revenge on their former base.

 

Severodonetsk is perhaps not as well known as other Donbass cities such as Mariupol, Artyomovsk (Bakhmut), Donetsk, or Lugansk. However, the battles waged there in the spring of last year were significant for both Russia and Ukraine.

For over eight years, this industrial hub with a population of around 100,000 – in the western part of the Lugansk People’s Republic (LPR) – was a stronghold of Kiev's military. This happened despite the feelings of its residents – in fact, back in 2014, it was in Severodonetsk and nearby Lisichansk that the Lugansk militia was formed under the leadership of field commanders Pavel Dremov and Aleksey Mozgovoy. 

At that time, local forces could not retain control of the city, whose residents voted for independence from Ukraine in a 2014 referendum. On July 22, that year, Kiev’s forces captured Severodonetsk, and for almost eight years it was under Ukrainian control. But on June 25, 2022, the situation changed. This time, President Vladimir Zelensky's troops were forced to beat a hasty retreat while Russian soldiers and the People’s Militia of the LPR took advantage. A week later, LPR authorities announced the complete liberation of the republic.

READ MORE: MARIUPOL IN PHOTOS: How the battle-scarred city has changed after eight months under Russian control

However, for Severodonetsk, that wasn’t the end of the story. Over the past ten months, aided by Russia’s central and regional authorities, the city has been recovering from the scars left by fierce battles.

How Ukrainian forces destroyed the city

Although Severodonetsk was spared from battles as bloody as the ones that shook the likes of Mariupol, destruction is visible throughout the city. The Azot chemical plant – often compared to Mariupol’s Azovstal because Ukrainian servicemen and foreign mercenaries similarly went into hiding there – was practically unharmed. Most of the damage affected the administrative buildings and entry routes, but the production facilities remained intact. In February of this year, city authorities announced that Azot was technically ready to resume operations – all that remained was to receive approval from the management company.

Azot did not suffer the same fate as Azovstal because to avoid being surrounded by Russian troops, Ukrainian forces were forced to retreat. On their way out, they intentionally left the city in ruins. Locals told me how a Ukrainian tank stood at an intersection and fired in all directions at the surrounding houses. Whenever possible, Ukrainians use a scorched-earth policy, destroying towns and villages during their retreat. As a result, the economy and infrastructure are completely destroyed and restoration requires huge investment.

In addition to the plant and residential areas, Ukrainian troops also used social facilities, including educational institutions, as places of deployment. One of them was School No.4, located in the city’s 79th Microdistrict. The presence of Ukrainian troops was evident from the improvised pillboxes in the basements, reinforced with sandbags.

 

Many educational facilities in Severodonetsk remain abandoned. So far, construction workers from Russia have managed to rebuild only a few schools and kindergartens. Presently, about 1,400 children study in these facilities.

 

On leaving the city, the Ukrainians moved all their forces to neighboring Lisichansk and attacked Severodonetsk from there. Presently, the front line is 30km away from the city. Despite the distance, thundering artillery is audible day and night. Today, shells no longer reach Severodonetsk, but many houses and streets attacked last summer have been damaged beyond repair.

 Both the city and its suburbs were destroyed as a result of the attacks. During their retreat at the end of June 2022, Ukrainian forces blew up a bridge to stop the advance of Russian troops. However, damaging the infrastructure did not help the Ukrainian army –  Lisichansk, located on the opposite side of the Seversky Donets River, was occupied by Russian forces by early July.

 

The retreat wasn’t an easy one for the Ukrainians, as evidenced by the scorched armored vehicles cluttered around the suburbs of Severodonetsk.

 

In one of Severodonetsk’s most severely damaged neighborhoods, I met a man carrying buckets of water home. As it turned out, his apartment was the only one left intact in his part of the building. He lived on the ninth floor together with his wife, daughter, and parents. The man constructed a wood-burning stove for heating and connected the wiring in his apartment to the nearest functioning power line.

 His family was very friendly. The daughter played the accordion for us, and the parents offered us tea with sandwiches and sweets. He said that during the fighting, Ukrainian military equipment had been placed in the yard. Troops had lived in the basements and dug trenches between the buildings, waiting for the arrival of the Russian army. However, after the first shelling, Ukrainian troops left the new trenches and moved to the western part of the city. He witnessed a Ukrainian tank firing directly at his building during the retreat, destroying all the neighboring apartments. Despite the danger, he did not leave his house and waited for Russian troops to arrive. Few residents were so bold as to remain at home.   

“This tank here, that you see in the arch, it got stuck. It was backing out of the arch, fired a shot and hid, attracting retaliatory fire on the residential building. The soil here is sand and clay, so it got stuck – they tried to pull it out with another tank, then with two – but it didn’t move. Then our men (Russians) burnt it!” he said.

 How the city is coming back to life

I first visited Severodonetsk in December 2022, when I was delivering humanitarian aid to the residents of the LPR. The city was abandoned and looked really depressing. Knowing that fierce battles were inevitable, most civilians evacuated in advance.

 

READ MORE:https://www.rt.com/russia/575112-lpr-severodonetsk-photo-report/  READ FROM TOP. 

MAKE A DEAL PRONTO BEFORE THE SHIT HITS THE FAN:

 

 

NO NATO IN "UKRAINE" (WHAT'S LEFT OF IT)

THE DONBASS REPUBLICS ARE NOW BACK IN THE RUSSIAN FOLD — AS THEY USED TO BE PRIOR 1922. THE RUSSIANS WON'T ABANDON THESE AGAIN.

CRIMEA IS RUSSIAN — AS IT USED TO BE PRIOR 1954

A MEMORANDUM OF NON-AGGRESSION BETWEEN RUSSIA AND THE USA.

 

EASY.

 

THE WEST KNOWS IT.

  

AND FREE JULIAN ASSANGE FOR HISSSAKE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Army Gen. Mark A. Milley, hold a live briefing with the news media in Germany, as defense leaders from around the world conclude a meeting on Ukraine’s defense.

 

READ MORE:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jq1rNUpHmXY

 

LLOYD AUSTIN THE UMPTEENTH TALKS HUGE SHIT......

 

READ FROM TOP.

 

NO NATO IN "UKRAINE" (WHAT'S LEFT OF IT)

NO NAZIS IN UKRAINE....

THE DONBASS REPUBLICS ARE NOW BACK IN THE RUSSIAN FOLD — AS THEY USED TO BE PRIOR 1922. THE RUSSIANS WON'T ABANDON THESE AGAIN.

CRIMEA IS RUSSIAN — AS IT USED TO BE PRIOR 1954

A MEMORANDUM OF NON-AGGRESSION BETWEEN RUSSIA AND THE USA.

 

EASY.

 

THE WEST KNOWS IT.

 

SEE ALSO: https://yourdemocracy.net/drupal/node/43171

  

AND FREE JULIAN ASSANGE FOR HISSSAKE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

An alleged revolt has rocked Ukraine's army amid Russia's ferocious fusillade. According to Wagner Group chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, Ukrainian fighters are dropping their arms and walking out of Kyiv's Bakhmut operations. The statement was in response to a question about Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky reportedly pressing his army to stay put in Bakhmut. Zelensky has turned Bakhmut into an ego battle and has refused to surrender. However, Wagner Boss claims that 90% of Bakhmut is now under Russian control.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dc-Y2d1-puw

 

 

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Scott Ritter answers questions from the audience with host Jeff Norman most Friday nights at 5 PM PT/5 8 PM ET/1 AM GMT and most Tuesdays at noon PT/3PM ET/8PM GMT. This week's special guest: Helen Jaccard (Veterans for Peace). Submit your question in advance:...

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3WJDCs58L4o 

Chris Hedges | The MEDIA will not REPORT TRUTH on UKRAINE

 

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DELUSION PLUS:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMQKLODOmAM

The US knows it must do everything in its power to learn from the ongoing war in Ukraine. Hopes are high that NATO can continue to support Ukrainian independence from afar without the conflict escalating. But wars have a tendency of spiraling out of control when you least expect it. The prospect seems unlikely now, but if the US had to suddenly engage in a full-scale war against Russia, how would it fare? What plans is it making for such an eventuality? Join us today and find out ...

How USA is Preparing for a Full Scale War against Russia

 

THIS IS BULLSHIT:::::::::::!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gwXe4UjLPBY

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce recently convened a gathering of business executives and government agency leaders to discuss the burgeoning prospects for profitability in Ukraine following the war, assuming the “right” side wins. The overweening message was clearly that Ukraine offered great opportunity for profits as the devastated nation is “brought back better.”

Jimmy and Americans’ Comedian Kurt Metzger discuss the use of this Biden campaign term to apply to the shambles that Ukraine has become.

 

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SEE ALSO:

https://scheerpost.com/2023/04/17/british-medias-deception-on-disinformation/

 

https://www.sparknotes.com/drama/mothercourage/summary/

 

 

 

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By Mac Slavo

The infamous journalist who uncovered the news that the Biden administration was responsible for the Nord Stream pipeline sabotage, says that the West knows that the weapons it’s sending to Ukraine are ending up on the black market. Poland, Romania, and other countries are being flooded with arms intended for Kiev, the veteran journalist says.

And the United States is well aware. Is all of this part of the master war plans going on? Considering the U.S. is well aware of these actions, it could very well be the intention.

Hersh claims that Western-supplied arms are being sold by Ukrainian commanders to smugglers in Poland, Romania, and other states. He made the claims while speaking to Afshin Rattansi on his program Going Underground, and said the West is aware of this black-market trade, as some reports about missing arms shipments have even appeared in the U.S. media.

 

He also said that these “black market” deals started happening almost immediately after the U.S. started arming Ukraine after the conflict broke out in February of last year. “Poland, Romania, and other countries on the border were being flooded with weapons we [the US and allies] were shipping for the war to Ukraine.”

“Often, it wasn’t generals, it was colonels and others, who were given shipments of some weapons, [who] would personally resell them… to the dark market,” Hersh explained.  The journalist also noted that there was concern in the West last year that some of the arms sent to Ukraine, such as Stinger shoulder-launched missiles, could be used to “shoot down an airplane at considerable height.”

As for Western-supplied weapons ending up on the black market, “CBS wrote a story about it that they were forced to retract,” Hersh said according to a report by RT. Hersh said that the mainstream media is supporting the stance of the U.S. ruling class that “we’re on the side of Ukraine. We all hate Russia,” and that’s why the article had to be retracted. We aren’t going to get the truth, we are only going to get the story the masters need the slaves to believe.

Russia has also warned the West that its weapons are going to end up being turned on them. “NATO military supplies intended for the Kiev regime end up in the hands of terrorists, extremists, and criminal groups in the Middle East, Central Africa, Southeast Asia,” Russia’s Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in October. At the time, she estimated the black-market turnover at one billion dollars per month.

 

https://www.activistpost.com/2023/04/seymour-hersh-the-wests-weapons-for-ukraine-are-ending-up-on-the-black-market.html

 

THIS SEEMS TO BE DELIBERATE: ARMING THE NATO COUNTRIES WITHOUT OFFICIALLY ARMING THE NATO COUNTRIES.... IN PREPARATION FOR A "SURPRISE ASSAULT" ON RUSSIA. BE PREPARED.

 

SEE ALSO:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jq1rNUpHmXY

 

LLOYD AUSTIN THE UMPTEENTH TALKS HUGE SHIT......

 

READ FROM TOP.

 

PLEASE, MAKE A DEAL:

 

NO NATO IN "UKRAINE" (WHAT'S LEFT OF IT)

NO NAZIS IN UKRAINE....

THE DONBASS REPUBLICS ARE NOW BACK IN THE RUSSIAN FOLD — AS THEY USED TO BE PRIOR 1922. THE RUSSIANS WON'T ABANDON THESE AGAIN.

CRIMEA IS RUSSIAN — AS IT USED TO BE PRIOR 1954

A MEMORANDUM OF NON-AGGRESSION BETWEEN RUSSIA AND THE USA.

 

EASY.

 

THE WEST KNOWS IT.

 

SEE ALSO: https://yourdemocracy.net/drupal/node/43171

  

AND FREE JULIAN ASSANGE FOR HISSSAKE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RiaSMXXEHec

Ukrainian Soldiers SURRENDER, Counteroffensive IMPLODES & HALTS

 

 

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