High-resolution satellite images published by Maxar provide stark insights into the destruction of the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, caused by months of bombardment and fighting between Ukrainian and Russian forces.
The images show Bakhmut from above in May 2022 and May 2023.
Across the city, rows of apartment buildings, schools, shops and other infrastructure have been reduced to smouldering rubble. Areas that were lined with trees and parks a year ago have been stripped of all vegetation, leaving only dust and debris.
The ruins of Bakhmut, described by both sides as a “meat grinder”, would be Moscow’s only prize for its huge winter offensive that failed elsewhere along the front. Ukrainian military sources and Russia’s Wagner private army both reported further Russian retreats around the city on Thursday, as Kyiv pressed on with its biggest advance for six months before a planned counteroffensive.
