Artyom’s family history in Bakhmut, the eastern Ukrainian city that was almost destroyed in a months-long Russian offensive, goes back almost 300 years.

As a result, the former technician plans to return in the future, but after evacuating the city earlier this year and relocating to Russia, he found a job and housing and doesn't anticipate going back anytime soon.

At least 7,000 people were evacuated from the city and surrounding areas by Russian forces and Wagner mercenaries since the start of the invasion last year. Those who left either followed migration corridors to the west of the country and Europe or went eastward to Russia, where they resettled across the country.

The city of nearly 70,000 residents was reduced to rubble after months of fighting. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky described it as “nothing left alive, all the buildings ruined” when he spoke at the G7 meeting in Japan in late May.

Russia’s claimed victory has come at the cost of a city beloved by its residents, who are now left to wonder how destroying their home fits into the broader aims of Moscow’s war. The Kremlin appears to be using Bakhmut as a weaponized symbol of national unity, along with Mariupol, Crimea, and the whole of eastern Ukraine.

But many former residents hope to someday return. Yevgeny, a former brewer who now lives in Sochi, said he’s willing to wait as long as needed and is willing to gather 200 people tomorrow and leave if given the green light.

The World Bank estimated the cost of rebuilding Ukraine at $411 billion in March, and while a wave of investment could help, there’s no guarantee that the heavily damaged cities of the east will return to their pre-war population. It will depend on available housing and jobs, as well as people's desire to go back.