Comparison of Bahmut satellite images from last year and this year in May
Russia, which tried to occupy Russia, turned to ‘scorched earth’ last month
Destroyed almost all buildings to an unknown extent
Ukraine “succeeded in liberation, but
Russia also made progress” Bakhmut, eastern Ukraine, has been the biggest battleground of the war. After Russia launched an attack on Ukraine on February 24 of last year, the war could not be concluded in a short war, and since July of the same year, the armed forces of the two countries have exchanged fierce battles in Bahmut.
Recently, Russia’s elite troops retreated from Bahmut, and the Russian private mercenary company Wagner Group also called for a토토사이트 “declaration of withdrawal,” citing ammunition shortages with massive casualties. Ukraine fought fiercely to defend Bahmut. But even if he hadn’t fallen into Russian hands, Bahmut was no longer the same.
According to satellite images released by US satellite company Barracks Technology on the 17th (local time), Bahmut, where Ukraine and Russia fought fiercely, was in fact in a state of ruin with only traces of the city and buildings remaining. The photo released this time was to compare the appearance of May 8 last year and the 15th of this month, before the fierce battle.
In the picture, Bahmut had destroyed almost all the buildings in the city, including the city’s schools, parks, shopping malls, and other infrastructure, as well as houses. From space, the landscape of the city, covered with colorful roofs, now looked like gray ruins.
In the satellite image comparing Bahmut Mooring on May 8 of last year and on the 15th of this month, the building with a large roof in the middle was originally a large theater, but now the entire roof is gone and only the skeleton of the building remains, and other buildings such as nearby shops are also in their original shape. has been damaged beyond recognition. Barracks Technology AP Yonhap News
Bakhmut was the key to gaining full control of the Ukrainian province of Donetsk, which Russia had declared annexed to its territory. Therefore, from last summer to winter, Russia struggled to occupy this place.
However, Ukraine also fiercely resisted to defend this place. Troy Offenbecker, a former U.S. Marine who participated in the International Volunteer Army to aid Ukraine, told ABC News, “The average life expectancy of Ukrainian troops fighting on the front lines of Bahmut is only four hours. ” “The Battle of Bahmut has so many casualties that it is called a ‘ meat grinder ,'” he said.
In early March, at one point, Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of the Wagner Group, claimed that Bahmut was effectively under siege and warned Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to withdraw Ukrainian forces from Bahmut. However, when it became difficult to completely occupy Bahmut due to guerrilla resistance from the Ukrainian side, who had set up various buildings in Bahmut, the Russian army eventually changed its strategy to ‘devastate’ the area in April. It was decided to destroy all the houses and buildings of Bahmut.
An area in Bakhmut, eastern Ukraine, where a local university and radio tower were located on May 8 last year, turned into an empty field on the 15th of this month. Barracks Technology AP Yonhap News
Ukrainian media ‘New Voice of Ukraine’ ( NV ) commented on this comparative photo of the ruined Bahmut, “It shows the scale of damage to the city, where residential buildings and various infrastructure were completely destroyed in the months-long artillery battle between the Ukrainian and Russian forces. show,” he said. It seems that the Ukrainian side is also aware of the high price paid for the shooting of Bahmut. “Our forces have succeeded in liberating about 20 square kilometers of territory around Bahmut (from the Russian occupation forces),” said Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Hannah Maliar. .