For the last three weeks, Russian-backed rebels have advanced into government-held territory in eastern Ukraine, leaving a trail of death and destruction in their wake. The conflict, which has raged since April, has claimed more than 5,000 lives and displaced over a million people, according to the United Nations. Ukraine's and Russia's presidents are holding a summit on Wednesday in Minsk that European leaders say is the last chance to stop the violence from spiraling into total war.
Last week, rebels took over Vuhlehirsk, a formerly sleepy coal-mining town 38 miles north of the rebel stronghold, Donetsk. When BuzzFeed News visited on Sunday, the town had been all but completely destroyed by weeks of intense artillery bombardments. Only the poorest and most vulnerable locals remain.
