Ukraine Military Shares Photos, Videos Of Devastation In Bakhmut: 'The City Is Dying'

The Ukrainian military has released a video and photos showing the devastation caused by Russian assault and strikes on the besieged city of Bakhmut.

In a video uploaded by the Ukrainian Special Operations Forces (UASOF), soldiers walked to a ruined neighborhood in Bakhmut.

"Bakhmut today. Soldiers from Ukraine's Special Operations Forces go on a combat mission through the broken but unconquered city," the UASOF said in the Facebook post, according to a translation provided by Pravda.

"This is what our path to victory looks like: difficult and risky. The only choice for all who have stood up in defense of Ukraine, all of those for whom the war has become [their] work and [their] calling at the same time," the Ukrainian armed forces branch added.

In another Facebook post, the 93rd Separate Mechanized Kholodny Yar Brigade of the Ukrainian military showed a residential building being razed by fire in Bakhmut.

"Our 'eyes' in Bakhmut, a drone operator with the call sign Yenot ["Raccoon"], doesn't just scout the enemy's location and adjust our artillery attacks. He also records how the city is dying from the actions of the Russian occupation forces," the 93rd Brigade said.

Other buildings in the war-torn city were already blackened by fire and riddled with bullets, while Bakhmut's sky was covered with thick smoke billowing from newly-incinerated structures.

On Thursday, the Ukrainian Defense Ministry released two satellite pictures showing the moments before and after Russia launched last year its campaign to capture Bakhmut.

In the latest satellite image taken this month, a scorched and flattened Bakhmut neighborhood could be seen from space.

Over the weekend, Russia claimed it had achieved full control of the Ukrainian city after Yevgeny Prigozhin, a Russian oligarch and the head of the Wagner paramilitary group, announced they had taken Bakhmut "in its entirety."

Russian President Vladimir Putin was elated over the Wagner group's alleged victory in Bakhmut and sent his congratulations for "the completion of the operation to liberate Artemovsk," referring to the Soviet-Russian name for Bakhmut.

However, Ukraine continues to insist that Bakhmut is still under its control.

Speaking at the G7 Summit in Hiroshima, Japan, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Bakhmut was "not occupied" by Russia as of Sunday.

Oleksandr Syrsky, the commander of the Ukrainian Ground Forces, also said that his troops "continue to advance on the flanks in the suburbs of Bakhmut" despite controlling only an "insignificant part" of the city.

While the control of Bakhmut remains unclear, President Joe Biden said Russia has suffered "over 100,000 casualties" in its months-long campaign to capture the Ukrainian city.