New drone footage shows the war-torn Ukrainian city of Bakhmut.
Bakhmut (Ukraine) – New aerial footage of the town of Bakhmut taken recently by drone reveals how the longest battle of the Russian invasion of Ukraine has turned this eastern Ukrainian town of salt and gypsum mines into a ghost town. It was written today by the AP agency, which also published images from footage taken by an unmanned aircraft. Bakhmut is currently one of the hotbeds of the war, and some of the heaviest battles of the conflict are taking place there, which Moscow unleashed almost a year ago with its invasion of Ukraine.
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“No people can be seen in the footage taken on February 13. But they are still there – somewhere out of sight, in basements and defensive fortresses, trying to survive,” AP describes. Tire tracks on the roads and human tracks on the snow-covered sidewalks testify to the human presence in the city. Of the pre-war population of about 80,000, several thousand refused or could not evacuate. The size of the military garrison that Ukraine has deployed in the city is secret.
Graffiti on the walls of the burned-out shop also show that people are or were there, the agency writes. “Bakhmut loves Ukraine,” they say. Next to it is depicted the face of the Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Army Valery Zaluzhny holding two fingers in the V gesture – the symbol of victory. “God and Valery Zaluzhny are with us,” is written under the painting.
The full extent of the destruction in the city is clearly visible from the air. Rows of residential houses are gutted, only their perimeter walls are standing, the interior of the ruins is exposed to snow and frost, AP describes. And also to the curious eye of the drone, which peered, among other things, into the kitchen of one of the houses. The once-intimate family space is now exposed as it lacks an exterior wall, reports AP, drawing attention to things like the plates stored above the sink. As if someone still lived there, he notes. However, the intact dusting of snow on the table suggests that the inhabitants are long gone.
For now, Bakhmut is holding out, his Ukrainian soldiers defying the endless Russian attacks and shelling. Several months of fighting for the city have resulted in heavy losses, and Bakhmut is gradually growing as a symbol of Ukrainian resistance, AP pointed out. The popular Ukrainian band Antitila, for example, already pays tribute to the defense of the city in their composition entitled Bakhmut Fortress.
