Russian War Decimates Over 100,000 Homes in Donetsk Region

Since late February 2022, Russian attacks have targeted and damaged approximately 116,000 residential structures, including more than 7,000 high-rise apartment complexes. The ongoing shelling has been particularly affecting settlements near the front line, with daily assaults causing extensive devastation, as Russia seeks to occupy the entire region.

The Governor of Donetsk region Vadym Filashkin described the situation: “Mariinka is completely destroyed, Vuhledar barely exists. There are many such places along the front line. Bakhmut and Avdiivka are almost gone. Lyman, Toretsk, Niu-Iork, and the Ocheretyne community are 80% destroyed, Krasnohorivka is 70-80% destroyed.” Despite these reports, the full extent of the destruction remains unclear, as some areas in the embattled region are inaccessible to Ukrainian authorities.

Since the invasion a decade ago, Russia has controlled approximately 60% of Donetsk region, along with illegally annexing Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson regions in 2022. The war has taken a significant toll on the region's heavy industry, which previously contributed majorly to Ukraine's industrial output. A comprehensive assessment of the damage to this sector has yet to be conducted.

Filashkin has underlined the loss of major businesses in Donetsk region, noting that large enterprises have been nearly obliterated, particularly in the coal industry: "No big business left in Donetsk region, unfortunately. Large enterprises have been almost completely destroyed. There is little left of the coal industry. Only small and medium-sized businesses remain," Filashkin said.