The Donbas Arena, a stadium that once hosted major club and international matches, now lies abandoned and overgrown in war-torn Ukraine. Before 2014, it was the home of Shakhtar Donetsk.
The 52,000-seater ground, which cost £318 million, officially opened in August 2009, three years ahead of Euro 2012, which was jointly held by Ukraine and Poland. At the time, it was a symbol of ambition in the country that declared independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.
Hosting elite European nights
Having taken over from Dynamo Kyiv as the country's dominant force, Shakhtar hosted big Champions League games against the likes of Manchester United and Arsenal. The ground also hosted five games at Euro 2012, including England's 1-1 draw with France and 1-0 win over the hosts in the group stage.
However, just five years after opening, the stadium had to be abandoned. The UEFA Category 4 facility was shelled as the Ukrainian armed forces clashed with pro-Russian separatists for control of the city.
Damage from shelling and rockets
Shakhtar's last fixture there was in 2014, a 3-1 win over Illichivets Mariupol that secured a fifth straight league crown in front of a crowd of less than 18,000 as the city braced for conflict.
Later that year, the venue sustained extensive damage to its turnstiles and entrances from heavy artillery fire and explosions as the conflict escalated. A shell initially hit the arena, sparking a blaze. Meanwhile, a rocket landed close to the stadium grounds.
Images from the period show the stadium with portions of its roof and facade obliterated and various fragments of debris strewn across the ground outside.
A stadium guide told the BBC in 2019: "It was pretty costly to repair the roof after the blast pulled it off. The job needs finishing, and that takes money the DPR (Donetsk People's Republic) don't have."
Ongoing exile and uncertain future
Recent pictures of the overgrown site paint an even bleaker picture, with signs warning: "DO NOT WALK ON THE LAWN! CAUTION! EXPLOSIVE OBJECTS MAY BE PRESENT."
Shakhtar remain exiled and will play their 'home' Champions League games at Chelsea's Stamford Bridge, starting against AEK Athens on Wednesday.
Given Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which started in 2022, it remains unclear whether the stadium will ever be operational again, having sustained further damage.
Since the start of the conflict, Shakhtar have played matches in Lviv and Kyiv, as well as in Germany and neighbouring Poland. Meanwhile, the Donbas Arena is now a stark reminder of what Ukraine had and has now lost.
