Village in Ukraine's separatist Luhansk region bears witness to war

By Dmitri Chirciu

LUHANSK, Ukraine (AA) – A village in Ukraine's separatist region of Luhansk bears witness to Russia's ongoing war.

Trokhizbenka village, which is about 60 kilometers (37 miles) from the regional center, was captured by the Russian army and separatists on the second day of the war.

The village, with a population of 3,000, came to the brink of a humanitarian crisis.

A bridge and other infrastructure were damaged during the clashes.

As Ukrainian troops retreated from the village, they left behind their ammunition and strategic documents as well as the trenches they had dug.

Military equipment of the Ukrainian army, captured by the Russian military forces, was brought to the Luhansk region.

The weapons include armored vehicles, tanks, multi-barreled rocket launchers and anti-tank guns.

The weapons will be given to the separatists backed by Russia in Luhansk.

On Feb. 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced "a special military operation" in Donbas, eastern Ukraine, but it gradually spilled over to the rest of the country.

Defying threats of sanctions by the West, Moscow officially recognized the enclaves of Donetsk and Luhansk in Donbas as independent states before launching a war on Ukraine.

At least 1,151 civilians have been killed and 1,824 injured in Ukraine since Russia launched war on its neighbor in Feb. 24, according to the UN, which has said that the true figure is likely far higher.

More than 3.86 million Ukrainians have fled to neighboring countries, with millions more displaced inside the country, according to the UN refugee agency.

* Writing by Gozde Bayar