Months of relentless Russian shelling have devastated strategic cities in eastern Ukraine. New drone footage obtained by The Associated Press shows buildings barely intact, homes and city hall scorched, and the town, once home to 12,000, now in ruins. Deserted.
The footage shows Chasib Yar surrounded by green fields and forests as an apocalyptic scene descends. The destruction is reminiscent of the cities of Bakhmut and Avdiivka, which Ukraine captured after months of shelling and heavy losses on both sides.
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The strategically important city has been under attack by Russian forces for several months. Capturing it would give Russia control of the hilltop from which it could attack other cities that form the backbone of Ukraine’s eastern defenses.
This photo, taken on Monday, April 29, 2024, from a drone video provided by Ukraine Patrol Police, shows the devastation of Chasiv Yar, a city in eastern Ukraine that is under attack by Russia. The video shows the community of Chasif Yar surrounded by greenery. Fields and forests – turned into a ghost town of skeletons, with almost no inhabitants left. The apocalyptic scene is reminiscent of the cities of Bakhmut and Avdiivka, which Ukraine captured after months of shelling and heavy losses for Kremlin forces. (Ukraine Police Force, Associated Press)
That would set the stage for a broader Russian attack that could begin as early as this month, Ukrainian officials say.
Russia launches wave attacks on foot and in armored vehicles against Chasiv Yar’s Ukrainian army, which is desperately short of ammunition while waiting for the US and other allies to send fresh supplies did.
Rows of mid-rise apartment buildings in Chasib Yar were blackened by the blast, pocked with holes and reduced to piles of timber and stone. Houses and public facilities have suffered significant damage. The church’s golden dome remains intact, but the building appears to be badly damaged.
Footage taken Monday and obtained exclusively by The Associated Press showed no soldiers or civilians, except for one man walking in the middle of the road between destroyed buildings.
Regional Governor Vadim Filashkin said on Ukrainian television on Wednesday that 682 residents of Chasiv Yar were living in “very difficult conditions.” The prewar population of this city was over 12,500. Filashkin said those who remained have been without running water and electricity for more than a year, making it “more difficult than ever” for humanitarian aid to reach them.
The destruction highlights Russia’s scorched-earth policy throughout more than two years of war, with Russian forces killing and displacing thousands of civilians.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg acknowledged on Monday that the allies’ delays in providing military aid to Ukraine had left the country at the mercy of the Kremlin’s larger and better-equipped military.
Ukraine and the West are rushing to deploy significant new military aid to help stem Russia’s slow but steady advance and thwart drone and missile attacks.
Ukrainian authorities reported on Wednesday that a Russian air-guided bomb struck a village northeast of Kharkiv, killing two civilians and injuring at least nine others, including an 11-year-old boy.
One of the bombs exploded near a car in Zolotiv, about 20 kilometers from the border, killing a 64-year-old man and a 38-year-old woman, both local residents, according to Governor Oleh Sinievov. . Russia.
At least 13 people were injured in the southern Black Sea port of Odesa when a Russian ballistic missile crashed into the city late Wednesday, regional governor Ole Kiper said in a Telegram update. He did not say what was hit, but reported that the explosion caused a large fire.
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Videos circulating on social media showed huge plumes of smoke billowing into the sky at the scene. Ukraine’s leading postal and courier company Nova Poshta said in a Facebook post on Wednesday that one of its sorting warehouses had been attacked, but insisted that no employees were among the injured.
Odesa is a frequent target of Russian firepower, with eight civilians killed by Russian missiles in the city in the past two days.
