Its strategic position means that the Izyum has become a fierce battlefield in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, as Moscow uses it as a launching pad for its offensive against Ukrainian forces in Donbas. It fell completely to Russian forces on April 1, trapping thousands of civilians in a city where 80% of its homes have been destroyed. “Before the war, Izyum had a population of 46,000,” said Valerii Marchenko, the city’s mayor, who managed to leave with thousands of his fellow citizens before the occupation. “There was a factory that produced military equipment, some small and medium enterprises. Relations with neighboring cities in Donbass were friendly. We always helped each other. “But that was before.” It is difficult for the Ukrainian authorities to know the situation in Izyum, which is located 70 miles southeast of Kharkov. Prior to the Russian occupation, local authorities managed to evacuate part of the population. However, according to officials, about 10,000 to 15,000 citizens remain trapped, their fate uncertain. “We can not know for sure why about 1,000 civilians were killed in airstrikes, artillery shelling and bombing,” Marchenko said. “The last central evacuation took place on March 10. We organized a green corridor with 60 buses. Humanitarian aid was flowing and people were fleeing with these buses. “Then we tried three times to set up green corridors, but when the buses approached the city they were shot by the Russians and forced to return. Some volunteers used their own cars and risked their lives to evacuate people, but organized evacuation was impossible. “And now that the city is occupied, our hands are tied.” Russia’s war in Ukraine: latest developments – map Witnesses told the Guardian how residents had survived in their basements for weeks without electricity, heating or running water. The occupation of Izyum lasted several weeks. “Our city is divided into north and south by the river Siverskyi Donets,” said Marchenko. “The Russians first tried to enter the northern part. Our army blew up the bridges so that they could not enter the southern part from where they could proceed to Sloviansk and Kramatorsk. “For almost three weeks they could not occupy the southern part. There were many attempts by the Russian invaders to build temporary bridges over the river, but our defenders destroyed them. “After countless attempts, they managed to cross the river, besiege the city and, after a week, gain control of the southern part.” A 60-year-old man from Izyum said he managed to escape Russian troops before the city fell by swimming along the Severskyi Donets during icy weather. “I was in the northern part of the city when armed men came to me posing as soldiers of the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic,” he said. “They threatened me with weapons and took two of my vehicles: a minibus and an SUV, as well as all the alcohol in the house. While they were robbing the house, they let me out of my sight [and] I took advantage of the moment and escaped. “ He continued: “I swam in the southern part of Izyum across the river. Then I called the city authorities and they organized an “evacuation walk”, so they told us the path we had to walk. Eight people agreed to this dangerous operation, including four women, a teenager and a girl with cancer who urgently needed chemotherapy. We walked about 15 km [9 miles] under fire [and] in the designated part we met the mayor of Izyum, Valerii Marchenko, and other officials. “Then we all drove to Sloviansk and we have been safe ever since.” Izyum has now become a hub for Russian forces. According to officials, his arrest allowed Russia to move the artillery 30 miles to Ukrainian-controlled areas of Donbass. “Our troops are keeping them there,” Marchenko said. “But there are a lot of machines in the city. They are moving their troops from the Kiev and Chernihiv regions to the Izyum. “Before, all their machines were marked with the letter Z, but now they are also V and O. They are assembling their troops, machinery and equipment to advance their attack on Donbas.” As Russian forces advanced, the mayors of Balakliya and Kupyansk, cities 30 miles and 43 miles from Izyum respectively, reached an agreement with Russian authorities. Both now face life in prison for treason. “I just do not understand them,” said Marchenko. “I also received offers from the invaders demanding that I let them pass and surrender. I told them I was the mayor of a Ukrainian city. And so it will remain. And I will never be a traitor. Why did they do that? You have to ask them. “ One of the people was evacuated from Izyum a month ago. Photo: Ed Ram / The Guardian Some witnesses claimed that the Russians had prepared a list of people to be “hunted”: those who may have weapons, businessmen, activists and the military. The fear is that Izyum will become another Bucha, where hundreds of civilians were killed and buried in mass graves or left on the streets. “Bucha and Izyum are very similar,” Marchenko said. “In both cases, more than 80% of the residential buildings are destroyed. People in both cities have been hiding in basements for more than a month under constant bombardment. There was no food. Some reports claim that the Russians are compiling a list of people in need of humanitarian assistance. But instead they are preparing a list of activists, Donbass war veterans, police officers and local business owners. “If they find them, they will be taken to an unknown location and we will not know anything about their fate.” Based on the Russian advance in recent weeks, the conquest of Donbas seems imminent, but Marchenko believes that nothing is lost while Ukrainian soldiers stand in front of them.
