- Title: Battle rages for Ukrainian region of Donbas ahead of 100th day of war
- Date: 2nd June 2022
- Summary: Ukraine is gathering the bodies of dead Russian soldiers strewn among the rubble of formerly occupied towns and using everything from DNA to tattoos to verify their identities in the hope of exchanging them for prisoners of war. MALA ROHAN, KHARKIV REGION, UKRAINE (RECENT - MAY 19, 2022) (REUTERS) ***WARNING: CONTAINS PROFANITY*** BODY BAG IN FRONT OF DAMAGED HOUSE VOLUNTEERS CARRYING BODY BAG BELIEVED TO CONTAIN REMAINS OF RUSSIAN SOLDIER VOLUNTEERS LIFTING BODY BAG BELIEVED TO CONTAIN REMAINS OF RUSSIAN SOLDIER INTO AMBULANCE TANK TURRET ON GROUND VARIOUS OF AMBULANCE DRIVING OFF A Russian airstrike hit a university building on May 21 in the town of Bakhmut, in the Donetsk region. BAKHMUT, DONETSK REGION, UKRAINE (RECENT - MAY 21, 2022) (REUTERS) CRATER AND DEBRIS NEXT TO BUILDING DRONE FOOTAGE OF DESTROYED BUILDING (MUTE) Ukrainian soldiers in the country's eastern Donbas region on May 22 said they were "ready for anything" as they prepared military equipment in a forested area. The soldiers loaded ammunition into self-driving howitzers and had tanks hidden under camouflage nets and javelin anti-tank weapons at their disposal, while an underground bunker was concealed in the earth. DONBAS REGION, UKRAINE (RECENT - MAY 22, 2022) (REUTERS) MAN LOADING AMMUNITION INTO SELF-DRIVING HOWITZER (UPSOUND CONTAINS PROFANITY) AMMUNITION ON GROUND TANK UNDER CAMOUFLAGE NET MEMBER OF ARTILLERY UNIT, VOLODYMYR DUMANSKYI, TALKING WITH MEMBERS OF HIS UNIT PATCH SHOWING UKRAINIAN NATIONAL FLAG OPEN ENTRANCE TO EARTH BUNKER Tanks carrying Russian-backed troops were seen driving through the Donetsk region on May 22, as Russia stepped up its attacks on Donbas and the Mykolaiv region of Ukraine. Several of the tanks were painted with “Z†– a symbol heavily associated with the Russian military since the February 24 invasion of Ukraine. One tank was also painted with the word “Russia†in Cyrillic. DONETSK REGION, UKRAINE (RECENT - MAY 22, 2022) (REUTERS) TANK WITH LETTERS READING (Russian): "RUSSIA" DRIVING ON ROAD LEADING FROM MARIUPOL TO DONETSK TANK PAINTED WITH "Z" SYMBOLS DRIVING Eyewitness video obtained by Reuters showed damaged buildings in the city of Severodonetsk on May 22. SEVERODONETSK, UKRAINE (RECENT - MAY 22, 2022) (VIDEO OBTAINED BY REUTERS) STREET WITH DAMAGED BUILDINGS SEEN FROM DRIVING CAR
- Embargoed: 16th June 2022 06:01
- Keywords: 100 days of war Donetsk Eastern Ukraine Kharkiv Luhansk Lyman Lysychansk Mariupol Russian invasion Severodonetsk Ukraine Ukraine-Russia conflict strikes timeline war weapons
- Location: VARIOUS LOCATIONS
- City: VARIOUS LOCATIONS
- Country: Ukraine
- Topics: Conflicts/War/Peace,Europe
- Reuters ID: LVA00I126528052022RP1
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: EDITORS PLEASE NOTE: THIS EDIT CONTAINS GRAPHIC IMAGES IN SHOT 19, SHOTS OF BODY BAGS THROUGHOUT AND PROFANITY IN SHOTS 33 AND 77
Having failed to take the capital Kyiv in the early phase of the war, Russia is seeking to consolidate its grip on the industrial region of the Donbas, large parts of which are already controlled by Moscow-backed separatists.
It has concentrated huge firepower on a small area - a contrast to earlier phases of the conflict when its forces were often spread thinly - bludgeoning towns and cities with artillery and air strikes.
Saturday (June 4) will mark 100 days of the invasion.
Capturing the twin cities of Sievierodonetsk and Lysychansk on the banks of the Siverskyi Donets river would give Moscow effective control of Ukraine's strategic Luhansk province and allow the Kremlin to declare some form of victory after more than three months of war.
Moscow's invasion, which it calls a "special operation" to disarm Ukraine and protect it from fascists, has jolted European security. Kyiv and its Western allies say the fascism assertion is a baseless pretext for an unprovoked war of aggression.
(Production: Natasa Bansagi) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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