Vovchansk dubbed 'mini Stalingrad': A city's fight for survival

Like other armed conflicts, the war in Ukraine has symbolic places. These include Bucha, Mariupol, and Vovchansk, over which fierce battles are still ongoing. Ukrainian soldiers described what the city, referred to by many journalists as the "21st-century mini Stalingrad," currently looks like. They also described their daily encounters with Russian soldiers.

Since the beginning of the conflict in 2022, certain cities in Ukraine have periodically become symbolic places. In the early days, such places included Bucha and Hostomel, key locations halting the Russian march on Kyiv.

Soon after, equally significant cities, such as Mariupol and Vovchansk, emerged as symbols of Ukrainian defense and sacrifice. While the battle in Mariupol has already concluded, Vovchansk remains a crucial defensive point for the Ukrainians, who have relied almost from the start on one of the banks of the Vovcha River that cuts through the city.

The scale of the fighting and destruction in Vovchansk is so great that "The Guardian" journalists have dubbed it the "21st-century mini Stalingrad." Just like in that key Russian city during World War II, the sounds of artillery and the moans of numerous wounded soldiers are still ever-present.

A few days ago, Ukrainian fighters in Vovchansk told reporters from the British "The Guardian" about the difficult situation in the city. They know exactly what's happening in the city thanks to drones that continuously monitor the battlefield. Among other things, they mentioned the bodies of fallen Russian soldiers lying in the streets.

"I feel no pity for them. They are constantly trying to take our territory. Russians are zombified people. If we don’t halt them, they will continue," one of the fighters from the Armed Forces of Ukraine told "The Guardian" reporters.

The Ukrainian soldiers currently fighting in Vovchansk are systematically rotated so they can rest in a village a bit away from the city. This village has been arranged to provide them with everything they need for recovery.

It is worth noting that, unlike the attacking Russians, only battle-experienced Ukrainian soldiers have been deployed to defend Vovchansk.