Residents of Chasiv Yar in eastern Ukraine's Donetsk region struggle with heartbreak and loss as they are forced from their homes. Russian forces are advancing on the city, which lies just west of Bakhmut, where heavy fighting has raged for weeks.
Volunteers Go House-To-House To Rescue Holdouts As Russian Forces Advance
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Olha (right) informs her 89-year-old neighbor, Lidia Chynyakova, that she must immediately leave her home on February 12. As Russia gains ground around Bakhmut -- less than 15 kilometers to the east -- Kyiv is urging all residents in Chasiv Yar to evacuate.
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Volunteers carry Lidia's cats from her home.
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Even though a mandatory evacuation was ordered in the region last year, many residents chose to remain.
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A volunteer escorts Olha as they search for her neighbors to be evacuated.
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While many of the residents fled, the remaining ones tend to be elderly, poor, or those caring for sick relatives.
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As his wife Iryna (left) and his son Oleksandr (right) look on, Serhiy Akusov helps his ill 75-year-old mother-in-law, Rayisa, evacuate from her family home. Moments later she passed away.
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Iryna says goodbye to the family dog as they walk toward the evacuation van.
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Iryna holds her mother's body after her sudden death.
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Oleksandr cries in despair after the passing of his grandmother.
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After their arrival in Kostyantynivka, medical workers transport Rayisa's body to the morgue.
