Ukraine: New satellite images document the destruction in Bakhmut

The battle for the city of Bakhmut has been raging in eastern Ukraine for months. It is the longest and bloodiest battle to date since Russia instigated the war by attacking the neighboring country at the end of February 2022. The strategic importance of the city is disputed, the German press agency recently called the frontline situation in and around Bachmut “paradoxical”. The reason: Inside the city, the Russian troops are pushing back the Ukrainian defenders, while outside, the Ukrainian armed forces are advancing.

Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maljar wrote on Telegram on Tuesday: “Within a few days, our troops have cleared around 20 square kilometers north and south of Bakhmut of the enemy, who in turn is advancing inside Bakhmut and completely destroying the city with its artillery.”

It is precisely this so-called “complete destruction” that is visible in new images that the satellite operator Maxar published on Wednesday and supplemented them with images from last year. “Across the city, residential streets, schools, businesses and other infrastructure have been reduced to smoking debris,” Maxar wrote in the statement. Parks and avenues are stripped of all vegetation and buried under a brown blanket of dust and debris. The images in the gallery above and the interactive graphics below show the extent of the destruction.

Interactive slider: The destruction in Bakhmut

In the two following graphics you can use the slider to get an idea of ​​the destruction. To do this, move the bar back and forth. Recordings from May 8, 2022 and May 15, 2023 were superimposed.

The first overview shows a theater and commercial building:

The second overview shows a school complex and surrounding residential buildings:

Sources: Maxar, Agencies