Video recorded by a drone conducting reconnaissance operations in Bakhmut shows the destruction of an entire building that the Ukrainians believed Russia would use to gain a foothold in the area.

Over the past few weeks, we've seen Ukrainian forces taking a near scorched Earth approach in Bakhmut. If they can't control it, they'll often destroy it to prevent the Russians from using it against them. While this may seem counter-intuitive to their objectives of regaining control of their country from Russian occupation, tactically it makes sense.

Very few civilians remain in Bakhmut. As such, operations like this can be carried out with impunity. The reason you destroy a large structure like this is to prevent your enemy from occupying it and using it as a safe haven to kick out further operations. From the Russian perspective, a defensible building like this can be used as a foothold, a place to store troops and logistics to push out further offensive operations against Ukrainian forces.

For the Ukrainians, this is obviously unacceptable, as they're fighting for every inch of Bakhmut.

About the Author

Josh Brooks

Josh is an American writer and former USMC machine gunner with eight years of experience in ground combat arms throughout the GWOT. He is currently based in Texas and specializes in combat footage analysis and digital marketing.Follow Josh at OfficialJoshBrooks.com