‘Around 13,000 people once lived here’ Photos from Ukraine’s Chasiv Yar, a town turned to a ‘wasteland’ by Russia’s ongoing assault

Russian troops are continuing their advance on the Ukrainian town of Chasiv Yar. In the first half of January, the Russian Armed Forces captured the Chasiv Yar Refractory Plant, previously the Ukrainian military’s main stronghold in the city. Now, the two armies are fighting over the ruins that once served as the town center. On January 29, the Ukrainian Interior Ministry published photographs of the destruction, taken by Ukrainian soldiers fighting there. “Around 13,000 people once lived in this town. But since the Russians came, all that remains is a wasteland,” the ministry wrote.