Since Russia started its war in eastern Ukraine, the fighting has ruined hundreds of residential buildings, businesses, roads, and infrastructure facilities. Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense in July estimated that $50 billion in damage had been done.
The most recent Google Earth satellite photos of the region, taken in 2016, show the destruction caused by the war to the airports, industrial buildings, and residential housing. Some of the fighting took place in 2014, and the pictures show that the buildings have remained in ruins since then.
With repeated violations of Minsk peace deal, more destruction could as well be seen on future satellite images that will be issued in 2018.
Use the slider to compare before and after pictures.
Donetsk International Airport
Built ahead of the Euro 2012 football championship, the $1 billion airport in Donetsk was reduced to rubble after intense fighting in the winter of 2015. The most current satellite images from May 2016 still show widespread evidence of destruction. The territory remains under the control of Russian-led forces.
Luhansk Airport
Once an infrastructure hub, Luhansk airport has been razed to the ground. Ukrainian forces lost control over the remains of the airport in September 2014. Areas in shape of buildings indicated where former airport constructions were once located, but it seems that none of the walls remain standing after the fighting.
Pisky (Donetsk Oblast)
The government-controlled village of Pisky, only two kilometers away from Donetsk airport, has been devastated by constant shelling by Russian-led forces against Ukrainian troops. The village, which had some 500 houses, was a crucial stronghold for the Ukrainian forces during the battles in 2014-2015. Because of the shelling, the vast majority of the village’s 2,000 residents fled their homes. Officially, 12 civilians still live in Pisky.
Shyrokune (Donetsk Oblast)
The government-controlled town of Shyrokyne, some 23 kilometers east of Mariupol, is located on Azov Sea coast close to the front line. Ukrainian forces report recurring violations of the Minsk cease-fire agreement there. A report made by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine in 2015 indicates that approximately 80 percent of the houses have been destroyed, most of them beyond repair.
Avdiyivka
Fighting over Avdiivka, a town of some 30,000 citizens, located 10 kilometers north of Donetsk, has been going on since the summer of 2014. The city’s industrial zone, pictured on the satellite image, became a flashpoint in the winter of 2017, and has suffered even more destruction since the latest available satellite image was captured.
