The “stunning” footage showed a huge difference between the residential areas of Bakhmut, before and after the fighting that has raged there in recent days.
The images show the extent of damage to residential areas as a result of the ongoing battles between the two sides so far, reflecting the great destruction that has befallen the city as a whole.
According to “Agence France Presse”, the first photos were taken on May 8, while the second, which showed “the desolation”, was taken on May 15, only seven days after the first.
On the first images, green areas and bright white buildings appear, while on the second image of the same area, the gray color predominates as a result of the bloody battles.
conflict
On Saturday, the commander of the Russian private military group “Wagner”, Yevgeny Prigozhin, announced that his forces had “completely” controlled Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine, while the Ukrainian army confirmed that the fighting in the city were still going on.
Prigozhin confirmed this in a video clip, in which he appeared in military uniform in front of a line of fighters carrying Russian flags and Wagner banners.
The group’s commander added that his forces will start leaving Bakhmut on May 25 and hand over the city to the Russian army.
On the other hand, the spokesman for the Ukrainian army in eastern operations, Serhiy Cherifati, said: “The fighting is still going on and its center is in Bakhmut”.
The spokesperson pointed out that “Bakhmut remains the main target approved by the Russian side and the (Wagner) group. They are bringing in airborne units and motorized rifle units, as well as some special units.”
Bakhmut has witnessed the fiercest fighting since Russia launched its military attack on Ukraine in late February last year, until warlords called it a “meat grinder”.
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