RFE/RL's Serhiy Nuzhnenko was granted access to the village of Blahodatne in eastern Ukraine's Donetsk region. It was among the first villages to be liberated as part of Kyiv's counteroffensive against invading Russian forces.
Ruins And Russian Dead: Ukraine Counteroffensive Trudges On After Early Successes
A Ukrainian soldier on June 17 straightens his country's national flag, which was hung from the House of Culture in the newly liberated village of Blahodatne, near the front line in the Donetsk region. The village was among the first to be recaptured during the early stages of Kyiv's counteroffensive.
A framed painting of the Ukrainian poet, writer, and political figure Taras Shevchenko is surrounded by bullet holes in the library of Blahodatne's House of Culture.
Ukrainian soldiers in Blahodatne on June 17 inspect the ruins of the local House of Culture, which was the scene of intense fighting.
A Ukrainian serviceman stands near the body of a Russian soldier who was killed during the storming of the village.
A Ukrainian soldier walks through Blahodatne's House of Culture.
A Ukrainian military officer told RFE/RL: "Unfortunately, there were casualties, but fortunately not only from our side, but also from the Russian side. The Russian troops put up persistent resistance; they did not want to surrender."
A soldier walks up the stairs of the bullet-riddled House of Culture in Blahodatne.
A Ukrainian soldier stands near the body of another Russian fighter.
During the liberation of Blahodatne, Ukrainian forces captured six Russian soldiers.
A Ukrainian soldier walks through Blahodatne. The village is still littered with mines and explosives left over from the Russian occupation.
Graffiti on a fence in Blahodatne that roughly translates as "People live here." According to the Ukrainian military, only two civilians are left in the village.
A Ukrainian soldier views the remains of a Russian armored personnel carrier.
A Ukrainian soldier mans his machine gun in a MaxxPro MRA armored personnel carrier. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has vowed that his country will retake all its territory as Kyiv continues its "de-occupation steps."