𝑳𝒆𝒔 𝑬𝒏𝒇𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒔 𝑷𝒆𝒓𝒅𝒖𝒔 - 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑫𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒖𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 - 𝑩𝒐𝒉𝒐𝒓𝒐𝒅𝒚𝒄𝒉𝒏𝒆

𝑳𝒆𝒔 𝑬𝒏𝒇𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒔 𝑷𝒆𝒓𝒅𝒖𝒔 - The village of Bohorodychne was almost entirely destroyed by fighting in 2022 during the Slovyansk Offensive. The village itself sits in an area between Izyum and Slovyansk, playing a strategic role for the Russian forces trying to push towards Slovyansk and Kramatorsk.

The Battle of the Slovyansk Offensive lasted from April 11th to September 11th of 2022. The village endured fighting in June and was eventually occupied entirely by Russian forces around mid-August.

During the Kharkiv Counteroffensive Ukrainian forces recaptured the settlement on September 11th but the intense fighting and shelling left the village entirely destroyed. The pre-invasion population was close to 1,000 +/-, only 35 documented people have returned to the village.

While walking through the ruins of the village we came across 7 people at the max, all of which were consolidated in the town center smoking cigarettes and chatting, all of which appeared over the age of 65. 

A bus rolled up to the group and a woman got out, quickly being greeted by the group, one of whom had flowers for her. This was her return journey, her first time back in her village since the invasion and fighting. She had lost family there, she sat down amongst what friends she had left in the area and wept for her lost family and her destroyed village.