War in Ukraine. The horrors of war by Pokrovsk

The ruins of a building in the abandoned town of Marinka (Maryinka) in Donetsk Region, a Russian-controlled area of Ukraine, February 18, 2026.

An apartment building damaged by a Russian military strike in the frontline town of Dobropillia, Donetsk Region, Ukraine, December 9, 2025.

Apartment buildings damaged by a Russian military strike in the frontline town of Bilozerske, Donetsk Region, Ukraine, October 27, 2025.

A car destroyed by a Russian military strike lies on a road in the frontline town of Dobropillia, Donetsk Region, Ukraine, October 27, 2025.

A resident leaves the site of an apartment building hit by Russian drone strike in Bilozerske, Donetsk Region, Ukraine, August 10, 2025.

Years of heavy fighting in eastern Ukraine have left towns gutted and claimed tens of thousands of soldiers' lives. A drone view shows the ruins of residential buildings in the abandoned town of Marinka (Maryinka), which was destroyed in the course of Russia-Ukraine conflict in the Donetsk region, a Russian-controlled area of Ukraine, August 7, 2025.

A resident walks at a street near buildings damaged by Russian military strikes in the frontline town of Pokrovsk, Donetsk Region, Ukraine, May 21, 2025.

Drone view of the ruins of a church and buildings in the abandoned town of Marinka (Maryinka), destroyed in the course of Russia-Ukraine conflict in the Donetsk Region, a Russian-controlled area of Ukraine, May 15, 2025.

Residents walk next to an apartment building hit by Russian military strikes in the front line town of Pokrovsk, Donetsk Region, Ukraine, April 23, 2025.

The ruins of apartment buildings in the abandoned town of Marinka, Donetsk Region, a Russian-controlled area of Ukraine, April 8, 2025.

Ruins of a building in the abandoned town of Marinka, which was destroyed in the course of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, in Donetsk Region, a Russian-controlled area of Ukraine, April 1, 2025.

The frontline city of Pokrovsk in Donetsk Region, Ukraine, March 25, 2025.

People stand at the site of an apartment building hit by a Russian missile strike in the town of Dobropillia, Donetsk Region, Ukraine, March 8, 2025.

A Ukrainian serviceman passes by a residential building damaged by Russian military strikes in the frontline town of Pokrovsk in Donetsk Region, Ukraine, March 6, 2025.

Maria Seryogova, 49, walks past ruins of buildings as she comes to visit her apartment destroyed in Pisky (Peski), a Russian controlled region of Ukraine, February 14, 2025.

The Church of the Holy Myrrhbearing Women destroyed in Pisky (Peski), a Russian controlled region of Ukraine, February 11, 2025.

A photographer walks past buildings damaged by a Russian military strike in Pokrovsk, Donetsk Region, Ukraine, November 4, 2024.

A man walks past a building damaged by a Russian military strike in Pokrovsk, Donetsk Region, Ukraine, September 17, 2024.

A local man rescues a pet bird from a house that was destroyed after a Russian strike on a residential area in Pokrovsk, Ukraine, August 3, 2024.

Rescuers work at the site where a building destroyed during a Russian missile strike in Pokrovsk, Donetsk Region, Ukraine, August 7, 2023.

Apartment building hit by a Russian missile strike, in the town of Myrnohrad, Donetsk region.

This handout photograph taken and released by Donetsk Region Prosecutor`s Office on March 10, 2024 shows a war crimes prosecutor standing next to destroyed cars in the courtyard of a damaged residential building following a missile attack in Myrnohrad, Donetsk region. – A Russian night-time strike on the east Ukrainian town of Myrnograd wounded at least 11 people, Kyiv said on March 10, 2024, while Moscow launched attack drones across the country.

Damaged apartment blocks destroyed in a Russian missile strike in Selydove near Avdiivka, Ukraine, February 19, 2024.

An apartment building damaged in the aftermath of an attack in a location given as Selydove, Donetsk Region, Ukraine, in a still image released February 14, 2024.

A residential building heavily damaged by a Russian missile strike in Selydove, Donetsk Region, Ukraine, February 8, 2024.

Rescuers work at the site of a Russian missile strike in an area in the village of Rivne near Pokrovsk, Donetsk Region, Ukraine, January 7, 2024.

Rescuers work at the site of a Russian missile strike in an area of Pokrovsk, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in the Donetsk region, Ukraine January 6, 2024.

Rescues work at a site of a residential building heavily damaged by a Russian missile strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in the town of Novohrodivka, Donetsk region, Ukraine November 30, 2023. Rescuers on Monday, December 4, retrieved the body of an 8-year-old girl, five days after a Russian missile strike on Ukraine's eastern town of Novohrodivka, Ukrainian authorities said, bringing the total death toll to three.

In this photo provided by the National Police of Ukraine, rescuers work at the scene of a building damaged by shelling, in Pokrovsk, Ukraine, Thursday, Nov. 30, 2023.

In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Service, rescuers work at the scene of a building damaged by shelling, in Novogrodivka (Novohrodivka), a city in Pokrovsk Raion of Donetsk Oblast of Ukraine, Thursday, Nov. 30, 2023.

The aftermath of a Russian missile strike in Selydove.

A view shows a residential house heavily damaged by a Russian missile strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in the town of Selydove, Donetsk region, Ukraine November 15, 2023.

A woman sells vegetables on the steps of a closed supermarket amid Russia's attack on Ukraine in Pokrovsk in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region on October 28.

A view shows an administrative building damaged by a Russian missile strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Pokrovsk, Donetsk region, Ukraine October 13, 2023.

Rescuers work with heavy machinery at the site of a building destroyed during a Russian missile strike in Pokrovsk, Donetsk Region, Ukraine, August 8, 2023.

Rescuers work at the site where a building destroyed during a Russian missile strike in Pokrovsk, Donetsk Region, Ukraine, August 7, 2023.

After a rocket hit a residential area in Pokrovsk, Ukraine, a local man collects documents in his house at Jun 23, 2023. Russian missiles have left homes in ruins.

A man boards a train to Lviv during an evacuation effort from war-affected areas of eastern Ukraine in Pokrovsk, Donetsk Region, Ukraine, May 23, 2023.

The ruins of Maryinka with towering slag heaps from local coal mines in the background

A tank (center right) fires its gun during fighting in what remains of Maryinka on February 24.

Valentyna Mozgova, 55, lab medic stands inside a hospital which was damaged by Russian shelling in Krasnohorivka, Ukraine, Sunday, Feb. 19, 2023.

Rescue workers clear the rubble of the residential building which was destroyed by a Russian rocket in Pokrovsk, Ukraine, Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2023. According to local authorities, at least 2 people were killed and 12 injured.

A woman stands near debris of her house following Wednesday's Russian shelling, in Kurakhove, Donetsk region, Ukraine, Thursday, Dec. 8, 2022.

A damaged Soviet-era Ukrainian car "Zaporozhets" is seen next to a destroyed apartment building after Russian shelling in Pokrovsk, Donetsk region, Ukraine, Friday, Nov. 4, 2022.

Oleksander Zaitsev, 67, stands in front of the house where his friend was found dead after a Russian attack in Pokrovsk region, Ukraine, Sunday, Sept. 11, 2022.

Flames rise from a fire following a Russian attack in Pokrovsk, Ukraine, Saturday, Sept. 10, 2022.

Grain fields burn, on the outskirts of Kurakhove, Pokrovsk Raion of Donetsk Oblast, eastern Ukraine, Thursday, July 21, 2022.

Damaged houses in the aftermath of a Russian rocket attack, on the outskirts of Pokrovsk, eastern Ukraine, Saturday, July 16, 2022.

Police members inspect a crater caused by a Russian rocket attack in Pokrovsk, Donetsk region, Ukraine, Wednesday, June 15, 2022.

Ukrainian firefighters extinguish a fire caused by a Russian missile strike in the settlement of Dobropillya. The Internal Affairs Ministry reported that 11 settlements in the Donetsk region were targeted on June 14, resulting in the destruction or damage of 60 buildings.

Workers remove pieces of a rocket from a crater after a Russian strike in Pokrovsk, eastern Ukraine, Wednesday, May 25, 2022. Two rockets struck the eastern Ukrainian town of Pokrovsk, in the Donetsk region early Wednesday morning, causing at least four injuries.