Footage released on March 24 shows the almost total destruction of residential areas of Bakhmut.
Both sides have suffered heavily in the battle for Bakhmut, which has been called a “meat grinder”.
Ukraine’s military say defending the city is a “military necessity” for the country.
Newly released drone footage shows the almost complete ruin of the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut following months of some of the bloodiest fighting since Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Russia first started shelling the city in Ukraine’s east in May last year, and fighting ramped up there in August.
Fighting has now reached the city’s streets. Bakhmut’s deputy mayor told the BBC earlier this month that “not a single building” was left undamaged and that the city was “almost destroyed.”
This new footage seems to back up that assessment.
Fighting in Bakhmut has been brutal. Western officials estimate that between 20,000 and 30,000 Russian troops have been killed or injured in the city, and NATO predicted that Russia was losing five soldiers for every Ukrainian killed.
Commanders on both sides have called the battle a “meat grinder.”
Even so, Russia has gradually inched forward, although monitors say that its progress appears to have slowed recently.
Ukraine’s ground forces commander, Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskyi, said on Monday that continuing to fight in Bakhmut is a “military necessity” for his country.
Ukrainian officials say that fighting there allows it to grind down Russia’s overall military strength.
The city has little strategic value for Russia, but Russia has been so unsuccessful is gaining new territory over the last few months that it is desperate for even a symbolic win, experts told Insider.