On the front lines of a Ukrainian city taking 'last stand' against Putin, where bodies are everywhere and the shelling never stops
Only 800 people remain in the Ukrainian city of Stepnohirsk, a frontline city devastated by Russian bombs that residents refuse to abandon.
Just a few kilometers from the Ukrainian counter-offensive line in the Zaporizhia region there is no work, drinking water or heating system, and the shelling rarely stops.
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The last survivors of Stepnohirsk are the elderly, disabled and their relatives who care for them.
The Sun provides a poignant portrayal of life in the war zone as they fight for survival and death and destruction become normal life for many.
The local school, which was converted into a town hall and humanitarian center, became a life support system for those still trying to hold on there.
Irina, a representative of the local authorities, said: “We beg people to leave with tears in our eyes, but there is little we can do to convince them.”
Irina knows what she is talking about – a Russian shell ended up right in the classroom where she was last year.
A window hit her on the back and she was engulfed in shards of glass. Only by a miracle did she survive without serious injuries.
But in December last year, Irina witnessed a 56-year-old woman being mauled by a Russian grenade.
The victim had just returned home from the humanitarian center, with bags full of aid, when the grenade found her.
Irina added: “We were all hysterical when her husband came crying.
“Forensics tried to divide and piece together her body parts, and at the same time, locals were still coming to ask for humanitarian assistance, as if nothing had happened.”
All employees of the town hall were left seriously traumatized and did not dare to leave the school building and approach the place where the woman was murdered.
Although the Russians are targeting the building, they think it is safer inside.
The school had been hit several times and shrapnel remains in the walls as a chilling reminder of the attacks.
Nearby Zaporizhia has since become a recurring focal point Putin invaded Ukraine in February 2022.
We had so much hope in the counter-offensive. We believed that everything would be over; now we don't know what to believe anymore
Olga
Europe's largest nuclear energy factory in the region is under the control of Russian forces which created fears of a nuclear disaster.
The two sides have accused each other of shelling the vast complex, and international efforts to establish a demilitarized zone around it have so far failed.
In June last year a hydroelectric dam that supplies water to help cool down Zaporizhia Nuclear Power Plant exploded and collapsed, causing massive flooding in the area.
It is believed that Russian forces have made some progress near the final frontline in Robotyne, but the Institute of War (ISW) believes this could be due to the Ukraine move troops elsewhere.
Although there was a lot of fighting in the Adviika regiondescribed as the gateway to the city of Donetsk.
If captured by the Russians, it would allow them to push back the front line and make it difficult for Ukraine to retake the disputed territory.
Ukraine's summer counteroffensive was an attempt to put Vlad's forces at a disadvantage, but in reality Zelensky's soldiers gained very little ground, Colonel Richard Kemp told the Sun.
Talking in a December column he wrote: “This year's counter-offensive has gained very little ground, at enormous cost both in military casualties and ammunition, and has now stalled with winter well established.
“With insufficient air, artillery and technical resources, the Ukrainian heavily constructed army could not break through Russian defenses that had been built at the same time that the Ukrainians were preparing to enter them.
“Having seen it firsthand on the front lines, I can't fault Ukraine's military prowess.”
But he blamed the West for getting carried away when it came to supplying Ukraine with the weapons it so desperately needs.
Stepnohirsk grew into a city from the village of Sukhoivanivka in the 1980s after huge deposits of manganese ore were discovered nearby.
There are still some private houses left from the village days, but there are no longer any manganese factories or mines.
They were closed then in 1996 company dried up and Stephohirsk was plunged into a depth depression.
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Nevertheless, before the large-scale invasion, there were approximately 4,500 people living on the advantages or commute just 29 kilometers to nearby Zaporizhia.
Now the roads leading into the city are used only by soldiers, as the war continues and residents become increasingly isolated.
Town hall worker Olga told The Sun: “We had so much hope for the counter-offensive. We believed that everything would be over; now we don't know what to believe anymore.
“We have evacuated all the children from here. All that remains of them are drawings pasted on the school walls.”
Now the citizens and the representatives of the government can no longer think about the future; they only think about surviving for a second.
They have no current about the futureand even in the present their lives depend on the Russian attacks that will follow.
The Ukrainian army so far does not have enough resources to move the enemy artillery to a safe distance from the city.
Residents are forced underground into basements of multi-story buildings equipped with makeshift wood stoves and generators.
But after being under enemy fire for so long, some locals are struggling to remain optimistic.
“I can't take this anymore; I'm done. Please help me get out of here,” a distressed female voice calls through Irina's phone.
And some locals under pressure have even become collaborators.
Ukraine's secret service arrested a kindergarten guard in Stepnohirsk, who, according to lawmakers, sent coordination of the school to the Russians and helped them target the building.
Despite the Kremlim's bombardment, Ukraine has managed to wreak havoc on Putin's war effort by air, land and sea.
Dramatic images show the At that moment Ukraine destroyed a column of Russian tanks and armored vehicles in a single blitz using drones and rockets.
Ukraine unleashed pin-point strikes on Putin's convoy maneuvers near the front line Russian-held the Donetsk region in a two-hour attack.
While Ukraine also claims to have sunk another Russian with 50 sailors on board – using a kamikaze naval drone.
Images shared today by Ukraine's Ministry of Defense showed the dramatic moment the boats rushed there Vladimir Putin's £55 million Black Sea rocket ship “Ivanovets” and sent it bursting into flames.
The Ukrainian government's defense intelligence service announced the hit on the 184-foot warship via the Telegram messaging service.
It read: “'Ivanovets' at the bottom – as a result of a special operation of the GUR of the Ministry of Defense, an enemy missile boat was destroyed.”
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