Russia and Ukraine war: Chasiv Yar’s devastation captured in drone footage

For several months, Russian artillery has continuously bombed a city in eastern Ukraine. New drone footage from The Associated Press shows that the city has been destroyed, with almost no buildings left standing, and homes and government buildings burned. The city, which used to have 12,000 people, is now almost empty.

The video shows the town of Chasiv Yar being destroyed and looking like a scene from a scary movie. The big damage reminds us of the cities of Bakhmut and Avdiivka. Ukraine had to give up these cities after they were bombed for months and many people died on both sides.

The very important city has been constantly attacked by Russian forces for many months. If Russia captures it, they can attack important cities in Ukraine from the high hill.

Russia attacked the Ukrainian troops at Chasiv Yar with both foot soldiers and armored vehicles. The Ukrainian troops have very little ammunition left and are waiting for the US and other allies to send more supplies.

The mid-rise apartment buildings in Chasiv Yar have been damaged or destroyed by explosions, leaving them blackened, riddled with holes, or collapsed into piles of wood and bricks. Homes and government buildings are also very damaged. The church’s shiny golden dome is still okay, but the rest of the building looks really broken.

No soldiers or regular people were seen in the video taken on Monday. Only one man was walking down the middle of a road between damaged buildings.

Russia’s scorched-earth tactics have caused a lot of destruction during the two years of war. Their troops have been killing and forcing thousands of civilians to leave their homes as they try to move forward.

Chasiv Yar is on a high place, which gives Russia a good starting point to move towards the bigger cities in Ukraine’s defense area in the eastern Donetsk region.

If Chasiv Yar is captured, it could lead to a big Russian attack in May, according to Ukrainian officials.

NATO leader Jens Stoltenberg said on Monday that the military help from other countries to Ukraine was late, which made Ukraine vulnerable to the more powerful and better-equipped Russian forces.

Ukraine and its Western allies are rushing to send important new military support to stop the Russian advancement in eastern areas and prevent drone and missile attacks.