Why did they inspect the first ship with Ukrainian grains in Turkey?
1:01
(CNN Spanish) --
For the inhabitants of these 10 Ukrainian cities, life changed radically after the Russian invasion on February 24: a large part of their buildings were destroyed or damaged during the fighting, access to goods and services has been turned into an odyssey and where the Ukrainian flag used to fly now flies the white, blue and red of Russia.
In their advance into southeastern and eastern Ukraine, Russian troops have captured large swaths of territory including dozens of towns, from large cities to small villages, which are now under occupation.
The first ship that set sail with Ukrainian grains after the UN-sponsored agreement is inspected
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 join 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.
It occupied numerous villages and towns, such as Bucha, Chuhuiv, and Chernobyl, which were later recaptured in Ukrainian counter-offensives.
advertising
The list could be even longer: fighting in southeastern and eastern Ukraine continues at the moment, more than five months after the start of the war, and Ukrainian cities such as Kramatorsk and Sloviansk are being threatened by the Russian advance.
Top 10 Ukrainian cities under Russian occupation
1 - Mariupol
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 1, shortly after the invasion.
It finally fell on May 17 after a long and hard resistance by 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 most strategically important.
Also, and due to the long siege before its capture, it is one of the cities hardest hit by the war: the images of the destruction of Mariúpol went around the world.
2 - Kherson
Kherson, with a population of about 280,000, was captured by Russia on March 1, at the start 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 caused an exodus in the city, but in the end it did not take place.
Then, in late June, the Russian-imposed authorities in Kherson again announced plans to hold a popular consultation on the region's possible entry into the Russian Federation, without giving a date.
Seriously injured Ukrainian soldier: I want to return to the fight 2:56
Meanwhile, US and other Western officials said last week that Ukraine was preparing to launch a counteroffensive to retake Kherson, and that Russian troops were digging in to resist.
In this regard, Ukrainian forces last week attacked the Antonivskyi Bridge, used by Russia to supply its troops in Kherson.
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.
It had about 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 about 120,000 inhabitants before the start of the war, and is an important port and industrial hub.
In March, after the fighting had ended, a crowd sang the Ukrainian national anthem outside the recently captured Berdyansk town 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.
Video summary of the war Ukraine - Russia: July 29 3:58
5 - Severodonetsk
Severodonetsk was captured by Russia on June 25, after months of heavy fighting as Moscow turned its focus to the east and 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 about 69,000 inhabitants is located in eastern 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 is, like its neighbor, an industrial and chemical hub.
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 pole of chemical production in the country.
It was occupied by Russia on May 12, before Severodonetsk and Lyschansk, and had a population of about 63,000 before the war.
8 - Power
Enerhodar and the Zaporizhia nuclear plant - the largest in Europe - both on the Dnieper River and in southern Ukraine, were captured by Russian troops on March 4
This city of about 52,000 inhabitants 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 the fire was later put out and there was reportedly no critical damage to any of the reactors.
9 - Izium
Located in the Kharkiv region of northeastern Ukraine, and about 110 kilometers from the city of the same name, Izium was captured by Russia in 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 in late February and early March towards Kherson, which is about 60 kilometers away.
It is located on the Dnieper River and has a population of about 48,000 people.
War in UkraineNews from Russia