At the foot of a steep wooded hill on the banks of the Siversky Donets river, a white stone statue of the Virgin Mary guards an artillery-scorched wasteland.

The bridge is broken, the homes and shops on the opposite bank reduced to matchwood and rubble.

The white walls of the monastery to her left bear deep shrapnel wounds. She herself is untouched except for her hands, which were blown off by an early salvo of Russian artillery in March.

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