“City of death and heavy fighting”: Volchansk of Ukraine is mini-Stalingrad

Volchansk, where military officials say there is ongoing fighting and was once home to about 17,000 people, is about 5 kilometers from the Russian border. Now the city is almost destroyed, the Defense Forces keep most of Volchansk under their control, but fierce fighting continues, The Guardian reports. The material says that on the first day of a full-scale invasion, the Russians captured the city, but retreated six months later due to the offensive of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. However, on May 10 of this year, Russian troops returned to plans to occupy Volchansk; they have now captured a clinic and a meat processing plant. "Since then, a brutal battle has begun. Russian troops control the north of the city and part of the destroyed western areas, while Ukrainian troops hold the center. The fighting goes house by house. Volchansk now resembles a mini-Stalingrad of the 21st century, a place of death, shooting and close combat", writes the publication.