Ukraine's Recaptured Villages, Then And Now
Two years after Russian forces retreated from the Kyiv region, RFE/RL photojournalist Serhiy Nuzhnenko revisited the same sites he photographed then to see what reconstruction efforts look like outside Ukraine's major cities.
2022
2024
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Image 1: A Ukrainian soldier in Teterivske, a village northwest of Kyiv, in March 2022
Image 2: The same stretch of road in March 2024
All 2022 images of Teterivske in this gallery were made when fighting between Russian and Ukrainian forces was ongoing in around the village in March of that year.
The 2024 images were taken in late March.
Image 2: The same stretch of road in March 2024
All 2022 images of Teterivske in this gallery were made when fighting between Russian and Ukrainian forces was ongoing in around the village in March of that year.
The 2024 images were taken in late March.
2022
2024
2
Image 1: A crater from an aerial bomb and destroyed house in Teterivske
Image 2: The same location after the village road was patched up and the house demolished
Image 2: The same location after the village road was patched up and the house demolished
2022
2024
3
Image 1: A crater from an aerial bomb on the outskirts of Teterivske
Image 2: The remnants of the same crater. Several areas of land around Teterivske are yet to be cleared by explosives ordnance disposal teams.
Image 2: The remnants of the same crater. Several areas of land around Teterivske are yet to be cleared by explosives ordnance disposal teams.
2022
2024
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Image 1: A Ukrainian press officer is seen trying to convince Valentyn, an 82-year-old local of Teterivske, to leave his home as Russian artillery began firing toward the village.
Image 2: Valentyn's empty home. The elderly man died after his evacuation from Teterivske, passing away peacefully in the company of family members. His house is now being repaired.
Image 2: Valentyn's empty home. The elderly man died after his evacuation from Teterivske, passing away peacefully in the company of family members. His house is now being repaired.
2022
2024
5
Image 1: Ukrainian soldiers inspect a destroyed Russian armored personnel carrier in Teterivske.
Image 2: Other than a crater, the site where the Russian hardware burned in 2022 shows almost no trace of the battle.
Image 2: Other than a crater, the site where the Russian hardware burned in 2022 shows almost no trace of the battle.
2022
2024
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Image 1: Destroyed military vehicles on the outskirts of Teterivske
Image 2: The same location shows the destroyed materiel has been removed and fire-scorched land has regrown.
Image 2: The same location shows the destroyed materiel has been removed and fire-scorched land has regrown.
2022
2024
7
Image 1: A destroyed T-72 tank near a World War II memorial in Lukyanivka in March 2022
Image 2: The same memorial is seen in March 2024 after the tank's removal.
Image 2: The same memorial is seen in March 2024 after the tank's removal.
2022
2024
8
Image 1: Destroyed houses in Kukhari, a village in the northwestern Kyiv region, shortly after its recapture from Russian forces in March 2022
Image 2: The same village in March 2024 highlights the often slow pace of reconstruction outside Ukraine's urban centers.
Image 2: The same village in March 2024 highlights the often slow pace of reconstruction outside Ukraine's urban centers.
2022
2024
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Image 1: A severely damaged school in Kukhari in March 2022
Image 2: The same school in March 2024. The school has been renovated and classes resumed.
Image 2: The same school in March 2024. The school has been renovated and classes resumed.
2022
2024
10
Image 1: The cupola of a destroyed church in Lukyanivka, a village east of Kyiv, in March 2022. The historic wooden church was reportedly destroyed deliberately with tank shells during Russia's withdrawal from the settlement.
Image 2: The site of the church in March 2024. Reconstruction of the landmark has yet to begin.
Image 2: The site of the church in March 2024. Reconstruction of the landmark has yet to begin.
2022
2024
11
Image 1: A Ukrainian soldier digs a shallow grave for the body of a Russian fighter in Lukyanivka in March 2022.
Image 2: The now overgrown site photographed in March 2024
Image 2: The now overgrown site photographed in March 2024
2022
2024
12
Image 1: A Ukrainian soldier who fought to retake Lukyanivka and the nearby village of Rudnytskiy walks through the latter village in March 2022.
Image 2: The same location seen in March 2024
Image 2: The same location seen in March 2024
