Tania Synia
- The eastern Ukrainian city of Soledar fell to Russia in January after months of brutal battle.
- Soledar and neighboring Bakhmut were once the site of the war's most intense fighting.
- Three people who were in Soledar at that time spoke to Insider about the carnage they witnessed.
The city was already in ruins when Tania Synia arrived in Soledar in August 2022.
The 26-year-old Ukrainian photographer and humanitarian volunteer traveled to the besieged town in late summer last year to help evacuate civilians less than two weeks after Russian assaults on the small city began in earnest.
"It was like a movie. There was bombing everywhere," Synia said. "There were dogs in the streets."