Scenes from Ukraine: Inside three towns after the Russians pulled out

Zabuchchya, Ukraine—A pullback of Russian troops from the regions west of Kyiv has allowed the liberation of many Ukrainians who had survived under siege for weeks.While much of the world’s attention has focused on the Ukrainian capital and its suburb of Irpin, small towns further to the west and southwest have likewise experienced the terror of this war.On Friday, we explored this region in the hopes of ascertaining the extent to which Russian troops had withdrawn over the past 24 hours and the effect their siege has had on local communities. Specifically, the towns of Zabuchchya, Dmytrivca, and Kapitanivka have been left in ruin. Residential homes on both sides of a main street in one town were riddled with bullet holes and clear signs of shelling. For three blocks, not one residence had escaped unscathed. The only remaining signs of life were the household dogs that lingered, desperate, still protecting their properties.Along the road deeper into previously held Russian territory, we encountered Russian armoured convoys and tanks laid to waste by the Ukrainian military. The smell of burnt households and armoured vehicles hung in the air. The shredded and scorched bodies of Russian soldiers had been left to decay. We travelled alongside Ukrainian forces as they cleared and secured these towns, street by street. Shelling sounded in the backdrop. The following photographs document some of what we saw.Michael Agosti is a Canadian photographer and videographer currently working in Ukraine.