Vuhledar is a tiny town in Volnovakha district of Donetsk Oblast with a pre-war population of about 15,000.
Before the war, it was not an ideal place to live; the town’s entire life depended on two coal mines. Suddenly, the miners’ salaries were delayed, causing outrage among the miners.
No house in the town is standing without being destroyed or damaged, February 18, 2023 / Photo: Oleksandr Babenko for Gwara Media
Concerts, festivals, performances, and amateur competitions were regularly held in the small mill town. The town had three schools, two kindergartens, and a college.
Recently, in 2019, one of the schools was renovated. Then the facade and roof were insulated, and in April 2022, Russian troops severely damaged it.
What is it like now?
Staying here, you can hear all kinds of weapons: Grad is firing non-stop, supported by other artillery. Machine gun bursts are coming just from the neighboring houses.
Vuhledar has completely destroyed. Neither rescue nor utility services work here, and there are no invincibility points to stay there for at least charging your phone. Since January, the pressure has intensified and volunteers have been coming more rarely.
A few animals run through the streets of the town. They often live in basements with locals, February 18, 2023 / Photo: Oleksandr Babenko for Gwara Media
About a thousand people still remain in the city. They hide from shelling in basements and light fires to keep warm. The dead are buried in a nearby garden or yard.
Russian troops continue their attack on Vuhledar. The enemy has been attacking the military since mid-August after the occupation of Volnovakha.
Why is Vuhledar important?
Vuhledar is a small but densely populated town with many high-rise buildings measuring approximately 1 km by 1 km, located on a flat area surrounded by fields.
The town is valuable because, along with the mines, it has become an outpost of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and is located just a few kilometres north of the only railroad line connecting Donetsk to Crimea.
Locals bury their neighbors and relatives right next to their homes in the yards. Here is a cross on the grave of a local resident who died a short time ago – December 1, 2022 / Photo: Oleksandr Babenko for Gwara Media
A car damaged by shrapnel near a house where coal miners continue to stay in the basement, February 18, 2023 / Photo: Oleksandr Babenko for Gwara Media
The sign “Children, there is no military” near the Bogatyr sports club, which is located next to the school №2, February 18, 2023 / Photo: Oleksandr Babenko for Gwara Media
The school assembly hall in Vuhledar, February 18, 2023 / Photo: Oleksandr Babenko for Gwara Media
View from the Ugledar school, February 18, 2023 / Photo: Oleksandr Babenko for Gwara Media
Glass pieces lie on the desks of a school in Vuhledar. A year ago, students used to sit at them and study geography, February 18, 2023 / Photo: Oleksandr Babenko for Gwara Media
The school was repaired 3 years before the war, so it had a modern look, now there are only broken windows and plants scattered by the blast, February 18, 2023 / Photo: Oleksandr Babenko for Gwara Media
Ukrainian military vehicles near Vuhledar, Donetsk Oblast, February 18, 2023 / Photo: Oleksandr Babenko for Gwara Media
World War II Memorial near Vuhledar, February 18, 2023 / Photo: Oleksandr Babenko for Gwara Media
French self-propelled howitzer CAESAR in a few kilometers from Vuhledar, February 18, 2023 / Photo: Oleksandr Babenko for Gwara Media
A destroyed house in the downtown of Vuhledar, February 18, 2023 / Photo: Oleksandr Babenko for Gwara Media
Approximately 1,000 residents still remain in Vuhledar, February 18, 2023 / Photo: Oleksandr Babenko for Gwara Media
About a thousand people still remain in the city. They are hiding from shelling in basements and lighting fires to keep warm, February 18, 2023 / Photo: Oleksandr Babenko for Gwara Media
We have already reported from Siversk and Bakhmut in Donetsk Oblast: a town with destroyed houses, deep craters, and constant cannonades. You cannot find a building without damage here. Only a hospital and a few shops are still working there.
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