Destruction in the restored Lyman – Volunteers tend to kill Russian soldiers

As part of the Ukrainian counterattack in eastern Ukraine, the country’s army was encircling the Russian-occupied town of Lyman. To avoid containment, the Russian occupying forces withdrew from the city, which was seen as a major setback as the city is a strategically important railway hub.

According to British intelligence, Russia suffered heavy losses when the city was abandoned. Images collected by the BBC show the bodies of dead Russian soldiers lining the roads into the city.

‘It’s hardest to survive the bombing’

Meanwhile, civilians testify to the BBC of what life was like during the Russian invasion and later occupation of the city.

The hardest part was surviving the bombing. The grenades went off and we prayed when we were in the basement. We didn’t eat regularly and couldn’t even make tea, says Lena, a resident of Lehman.

annexed by Russia

Russia considers the entire Luhansk region, where Lyman is located, to belong to Russia. After a rigged referendum, Russia decided last week to annex Luhansk and four other regions in violation of international law, even though Russian forces only control parts of these regions.

See photos from Lehman in the video above.