This Used To Be a City in Ukraine

Marinka is a city near Donetsk in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine. It used to be home to around 10,000 people.

But new photos and aerial footage show that the city has been practically wiped off the map since Russia launched its full invasion of Ukraine last year.

The city has been the scene of fighting between Ukrainian forces and Russian-backed paramilitaries since war broke out in the region in 2014.

12 months of fierce fighting now means that the city has been all-but completely destroyed. Marinka’s Wikipedia entry was briefly updated over the weekend to read, “Marinka was a city.”

“The city is completely destroyed. Completely,” said Artem Schus, Marinka’s police chief. 

“There is not one building that wasn’t damaged. Currently, there are no civilians left in the city because the military administration and police evacuated all residents, all children. Living there is impossible.”