Continuous aerial bombardments have battered civilian infrastructure, damaging schools and homes to compel remaining locals to flee. Ukrainian soldiers have resorted to using shotguns as a desperate final measure to down first-person view drones targeting transport routes. Although Russia controls approximately 90 percent of the Donbas, its forward momentum has stalled against stiff Ukrainian resistance. These defensive efforts came at a steep cost to Moscow, which suffered over 54,000 casualties in October alone.
Key points
Ukrainian leaders fear surrendering these fortified positions would open an unobstructed…: Ukrainian leaders fear surrendering these fortified positions would open an unobstructed pathway for Russian troops to advance toward Kyiv.
First-person view drones now target transport roads, forcing defenders to monitor the ski…: First-person view drones now target transport roads, forcing defenders to monitor the skies and counter them with shotguns.
Moscow has made the transfer of this defensive belt a central topic during peace discussi…: Moscow has made the transfer of this defensive belt a central topic during peace discussions held in Abu Dhabi.
Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1
- Published
The dangers in Slovyansk are clear from the start.
"If I say run, you run," Tetiana tells us. She and her colleague Yasha are escorting us into a city now under constant bombardment from Russian drones, missiles and glide bombs.
It is raining and cloudy as we enter the city, and our military escorts call this "good" weather, meaning it is bad for drones.
But the threat is still there, and Yasha keeps his eyes peeled on the skies, while 21-year-old Tetiana scours her phone for the latest military intelligence on likely threats from the air.
They are members of a drone unit who call themselves Peaky Blinders and their distinctive emblem is a flat cap of the type made popular by the cult BBC TV series, although theirs are camouflaged.
Slovyansk is one of four cities that make up Ukraine's "fortress belt" - a system of heavily reinforced defence lines in the parts of eastern region of Donetsk still under its control.
Russia wants Kyiv to give up the fortress cities and they are central to talks…
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