(CNN Spanish) — For the inhabitants of these 10 Ukrainian cities, life changed radically after the Russian invasion on February 24: many of their buildings were destroyed or damaged during the fighting, access to goods and services has become an odyssey and where used to wave the flag of Ukraine now flies the white, blue and red of Russia.
In his progress in southeastern and eastern UkraineRussian troops have captured large portions of territory including dozens of towns, from large cities to small villages, which are now under occupation.
The 10 main Ukrainian cities controlled by Russia at the time had between 45,000 and 400,000 inhabitants before the war (many fled before and after the fighting) and are of great strategic and economic importance in their regions.
A Russian flag flies next to destroyed buildings in Mariupol, Ukraine, on April 12, 2022. (Credit: ALEXANDER NEMENOV/AFP via Getty Images)
They are added to the towns in Donetsk and Luhansk, in the far east of the country known as Donbas, which have been under the control of Russian-backed rebel forces since 2014.
The list could be longer: at the beginning of the invasion, Russia also launched offensives in northern Ukraine, towards Kyiv, the capital, and Kharkiv, among others. He occupied numerous villages and cities, such as bushing, Chuhuiv y Chernobylwhich were later recaptured in Ukrainian counter-offensives.
The list could be even longer: the fighting in the southeast and east of Ukraine continues at the moment, more than five months after the start of the war, and Ukrainian cities like Kramatorsk y Slavic they are being threatened by the Russian advance.
Top 10 Ukrainian cities under Russian occupation
1 – Mariúpol
This port city of more than 400,000 inhabitants and located on the shores of the Sea of Azov was besieged by Russia on March 1st, shortly after the invasion. It finally fell on May 17 after a long and hard resistance of the Ukrainian troops entrenched in the Azovstal plant and other points.
It is the largest Ukrainian city held by Russia at the time, and due to its location on the Sea of Azov and on the highway between Crimea, annexed by Moscow in 2014, and the Donetsk regions raised that same year, one of the largest strategically important.
Also, and due to the long siege before its capture, it is one of the cities most hit for the war: images of the destruction of Mariupol They went around the world.
2 – Kherson
Jershon, with a population of about 280,000 inhabitantsit was captured by Russia on March 1, at the beginning of the invasion. The city is located in the south of Ukraine, about 90 kilometers from Crimea and on the mouth of the Dnieper River, which is why it houses an important port with access to the Black Sea.
Since the beginning of the occupation, Ukraine has denounced that Russia plans to hold a referendum in support of the creation of a Kherson People’s Republic, as happened with the Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics erected in 2014 under the wing of Moscow. The idea of this possible referendum provoked an exodus in the citybut finally it did not take place.
Then, in late June, the Russian-imposed authorities in Kherson again announced plans to carry out a popular consultation on a possible entry of the region into the Russian Federationwithout giving a date.
Meanwhile, officials from the United States and other Western countries said last week that Ukraine was preparing to launch a counteroffensive to retake Jersón, and that Russian troops were digging in to resist. In this regard, Ukrainian forces last week attacked the Antonivskyi Bridge, used by Russia for supply his troops at Jershon.
3 – Melitopol
This city is located in the Zaporizhia region, also in southern Ukraine, about 200 kilometers east of Kherson and 160 kilometers west of Mariupol. I had some 160,000 inhabitants before the start of the war.
Melitopol also fell early in the invasion: it was captured by Russia on March 1.
4 – Berdyansk
Located about 70 kilometers from Mariupol and on the Sea of Azov, Berdyansk was captured by Russia on February 27, three days after the invasion. It served as a starting point for the subsequent siege of Mariupol.
The city had some 120,000 inhabitants before the start of the war, and is an important port and industrial hub.
In March, when the fighting was over, a crowd corner the Ukrainian national anthem in front of the recently captured Berdyansk city hall, and some civilians challenged a group of Russian soldiers in a truck. It was in the midst of a wave of challenges to the occupation at the beginning of the war.
5-Severodonetsk
Severodonetsk was captured by Russia on June 25, after months of heavy fighting after Moscow will turn the focus of its attention to the east and the Donbas. In fact, it was one of the last Ukrainian strongholds in the Luhansk region, which had been largely controlled by pro-Russian rebels since 2014.
The city of some 69,000 inhabitants, it is located in the east of Ukraine and in the valley of the Donets River, just in front of Lysychansk. It is an important industrial and chemical center.
6 – Lysychansk
On the other side of the Donets River, and a few kilometers from Severodonetsk, is Lysychansk, the city that was captured by Russia on July 3.
It had a population of about 111,000 inhabitants at the beginning of the war, and it is, like its neighbor, an industrial and chemical pole.
7- Rubizhne
Rubizhne is also located in eastern Ukraine, 13 kilometers from Severdonetsk and about 20 kilometers from Lysychansk. The three cities make up a chemical production pole in the country.
It was occupied by Russia the 12th of Maybefore Severodonetsk and Lyschansk, and had a pre-war population of about 63,000 inhabitants.
8 – Enerhodar
Enerhodar and the Zaporizhia nuclear plant —the largest in Europe— both on the Dnieper River and in the south of Ukraine, were captured by Russian troops March 4
This city of some 52,000 inhabitants It was founded in 1970 precisely to provide services to the Zaporizhia plant.
During the fighting, Zaporizhia was damaged and there was concern about a possible nuclear disaster. But then the fire was put out and it was reported that there was no critical damage to any of the reactors.
9 – Izium
Located in the Kharkiv region, northeast of Ukraine, and about 110 kilometers from the city of the same name, Izium was captured by Russia at early April.
Its population before the war was about 54,000 inhabitants, and like other cities in eastern Ukraine, it has an important industry.
Izium is also close to the front and about 40 kilometers from Sloviansk, a Ukrainian city that is threatened by the Russian advance.
10 – Nova Kakhovka
Nova Kakhokva was captured by Russia during its advance to late February and early March towards Jershonwhich is about 60 kilometers.
It is located on the Dnieper River and has a population of about 48,000 people.