Drone footage shows how the Russians destroyed a Ukrainian city in a savage battle

Drone video: Ukrainians strike down Russian military vehicles in Kharkiv 0:39 (CNN) — A 22-minute video shot by a surveillance drone over the Ukrainian city of Popasna illustrates the stunning destruction wrought on settlements in the eastern regions of Luhansk and Donetsk. It is also another insight into the importance of drones in modern warfare, as well as the Russian approach to combat and the last-minute resistance of Ukrainian units. The drone video shows that all the properties in the city center are destroyed or damaged. Most appear to have been hit by Russian artillery or missile fire. “The Russians are not only destroying Popasna. They are removing it from the map of the Luhansk region,” according to the head of the Luhansk Regional Military Administration, Serhiy Hayday. The drone video was originally posted by a pro-Russian Telegram channel and appears to have been taken by a Russian military drone. The drone appears to have been used to help Russian infantry hunt down the last Ukrainian defenders in the area. Finally, fly over the place where the Ukrainians are cornered and surrender. CNN has geolocated and verified the authenticity of the video. It is unclear exactly when it was recorded, but heavy fighting has taken place in Popasna in recent days, as the Russian advance clashes with Ukrainian defenses in the city. The video begins with artillery strikes landing near a trench just north of downtown Popasna. At least one Ukrainian soldier is seen walking out of the trench and taking shelter in what appears to be a nearby shed. The drone video was originally posted by a pro-Russian Telegram channel and appears to have been taken by a Russian military drone. At least four Russian soldiers advance towards the shed. Several explosions are seen, including two from grenades thrown by a Ukrainian soldier inside the shed. Drone video shows a Russian soldier throwing at least four grenades into or near the shed where Ukrainian forces are sheltering. It is not clear if the Ukrainian soldiers are killed or injured by the explosions. A later segment shows several Ukrainian soldiers lying face down outside. Again, the drone is used to survey the area, apparently looking for any movement or more Ukrainian soldiers. It then shows at least six Ukrainian soldiers being escorted out, hands on their heads, and into Russian custody. It is unclear if any Ukrainian soldiers were killed or injured in the blasts. Some pro-Russian social media accounts say the Russian soldiers are actually private military contractors for the Wagner Group — a Kremlin-linked private military contractor that has sent agents to Syria, Libya and several African countries — which has been involved in the Donbas conflict since 2014. CNN cannot verify that, but Western intelligence agencies have said that Russian forces are employing private contractors or mercenaries in the conflict. The video also offers a glimpse into the Russian way of waging war, which holds that ground offensives must be preceded by massive “indirect fire” from artillery and missile systems. Russian forces have vast superiority over Ukrainian forces in such systems, and Ukraine does not have enough air power to make a dent in them. In addition, in recent days Russian combat helicopters have been geolocated in the area. As a recent study by RAND, a US defense think tank, pointed out, Russian battle groups are packed with artillery. “The main effort of a major Russian offensive operation would likely have maneuver units supported by an equal or greater number of artillery units. They will use large amounts of cluster munitions and artillery-launched mines,” the report predicted. Some analysts believe that Russia has more than 50 battalion tactical groups, each of which would have about 1,000 soldiers, in the arc from Popasna to Izium, further north. It is a huge concentration of power. Despite weeks of shelling and missile attacks, Ukrainian forces have refused to give ground to the Russians in several cities of Luhansk and Donetsk. Only when they have nothing left to defend do they make a tactical retreat to avoid capture. That is what happened in the city of Kremmina in April. “In Kremmina, we understood that if we clung to the ground, the children would die and the enemy would not be harmed, so we regrouped and left,” Hayday said. But for at least a handful of Ukrainian soldiers in Popasna, escape was no longer an option.

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