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As Luhansk falls to the Russians, civilians are desperate to evacuate

By Sudarsan Raghavan

31 May 2022 · 8 min read

Larisa Strelnikova arrived in this once peaceful town in an armored bus last week, dodging Russian shells and death.

For the past three months, the 79-year-old had lived mostly underground, taking cover in her basement as Russian forces bombarded her beloved city of Severodonetsk. One day, her neighborhood market was destroyed; another day, the bus station. Then a Grad rocket slammed into her building, setting her apartment on fire.

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