Ukraine's Vovchansk: The new "mini Stalingrad" of modern warfare
Like other armed conflicts, the war in Ukraine has its symbolic places. These include Bucha, Mariupol, and Vovchansk, over which fierce battles remain ongoing. Ukrainian soldiers described what the city, referred to by many journalists as the "21st-century mini Stalingrad," currently looks like. They also explained what the Russians they fight with every day look like.
Since the beginning of the conflict in 2022, certain cities in Ukraine have periodically risen to symbolic places. In the early days, such places included Bucha and Hostomel, among the key locations in halting the Russian march on Kyiv.
Soon after, equally significant cities were Mariupol and Vovchansk, which served as symbols of Ukrainian defence and sacrifice. While the battle in the first of these cities has already concluded, the second remains a crucial defensive point for the Ukrainians, who have relied almost from the start on one of the banks of the Vovcha River that cuts through the city.
The scale of the fighting and destruction in the city is so grand that journalists from "The Guardian" have dubbed it the "21st-century mini Stalingrad." Just like in that key Russian city during World War II, the sound of artillery and the moans of numerous wounded soldiers are still ever-present.
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Ukrainians described what Vovchansk looks like today
A few days ago, Ukrainian fighters in Vovchansk told reporters from the British "The Guardian" about the problematic situation in the city. They know exactly what's happening in the town thanks to drones continuously monitoring the battlefield. Among other things, they mentioned the bodies of fallen Russian soldiers lying in the streets.
I feel no pity for them. They are constantly trying to take our territory. Russians are zombified people. If we don’t halt them, they will continue," one of the fighters from the Armed Forces of Ukraine told "The Guardian" reporters.
The Ukrainian soldiers currently fighting in Vovchansk are systematically rotated so they can rest in a village about 16 km away from the city. This village has been arranged to provide them with everything they need for recovery.
It is worth noting that, unlike the attacking Russians, only battle-experienced Ukrainian soldiers have been deployed to defend Vovchansk.
