Images of Ukraine-occupied Russia: From Fortifications to Desolate Lands.
Two weeks after the Ukrainian army’s cross-border raid, the scene at the official border crossing between Ukraine and Russia has changed completely. Most of the buildings here have been destroyed, not a single structure remains intact.
In the town of Sudzha in Russia, now under Ukrainian control, the scene is truly shocking. What used to be large customs offices, service buildings and duty-free shops have been reduced to unrecognizable rubble, with only rubble and rusted metal left behind, according to a Kyiv Independent reporter.
The town centre, which once had a population of around 5,000, is now deserted and deserted. The central square, once the heart of the town, is littered with broken glass, while the large statue that was once the symbol of the place has been removed.
Ukrainian soldiers in Sudzha.On August 6, potholed roads where cars and trucks lined up to cross the border became the starting point for a Ukrainian force’s incursion into Russian territory, an event not seen since World War II. While the initial phase of the cross-border offensive was considered a significant success for Ukraine, the ultimate goal of the country’s military in the Kursk region remains unclear.
Some Russians remained in Sudzha.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the offensive was aimed at creating a buffer zone to protect the Sumy region from Russian attacks and to force Russia to divert its forces from offensive operations in Donetsk. However, over the past two weeks, Russia’s advances into Ukraine’s key military hub, Pokrovsk, have shown no signs of slowing. On August 20, Ukrainian Army Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi announced that Ukrainian forces had advanced 35 kilometers into Russian territory and captured 93 settlements over an area of 1,236 square kilometers. Just beyond the border crossing, a series of concrete anti-vehicle fortifications, known as “dragon’s teeth,” stretch across the grassy plains on the Russian border. “It seems the dragon’s teeth are not working,” Serhii, a soldier who accompanied the Kyiv Independent reporter across the border, said.
Photo: Kyiv Independent reporter
