For centuries Izyum was regarded as the gateway to the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine and, from there, to the Black Sea. The Russians called the area around it Izyum passage.
Its strategic position has meant Izyum has become a fierce battleground in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, as Moscow uses it as a launching point for its assault against Ukrainian forces in Donbas. It fell fully to Russian forces on 1 April, trapping thousands of civilians in a city where as many as 80% of its residential buildings have been destroyed.
