Bakhmut in ruins: Drone footage shows what remains of city in 2025
Archive photo: destroyed Bakhmut by Russia (Getty Images)
The defense of Bakhmut in the Donetsk region lasted nearly 10 months, from August 2022 to May 2023, and became one of the fiercest battles of the Russian-Ukrainian war. After being occupied by Russian forces, the city was completely destroyed, the relevant video was published by the Unmanned Systems Forces on Telegram.
"Once, Bakhmut was an important railway hub and a center of the salt industry, home to 84,000 Ukrainians. It was here, even before Ukraine declared independence, that on July 24, 1990, the first blue-and-yellow flag in Donetsk region was raised over the city council building," the military wrote in the video caption.
Before the Russian invasion, the civilian population of Bakhmut exceeded 70,000. As of early 2025, no civilians likely remain in the city.
The video shows various landmarks and buildings before the war, along with footage of what happened to them after the arrival of Russian forces. Significant destruction is visible, and in some areas, entire streets with houses have been completely wiped out.
The defense of Bakhmut lasted nearly 10 months. The city endured devastating artillery shelling and assaults. During the battles for Bakhmut, the Russian army suffered massive losses — around 100,000 killed and wounded, more than 80% of whom were from the Wagner PMC units.
Although Russian forces declared they had captured the city, fighting in the surrounding areas continued, and Ukrainian drones have regularly documented the scale of the destruction.
RBC-Ukraine recently reported on the city of Toretsk, which Russian forces are attempting to seize. As of April 2025, only about 48 civilians are believed to remain there. Before the war began, the city had a population of approximately 35,000.
