Frag Out! Magazine
Issue link: https://fragout.uberflip.com/i/1497523
Liberated rubble landfills... Bakhmut is surprising when compared to the background above. The city has been making it to the headlines for a few months now. The battle there is depicted as a new Battle of Stalingrad - especially by the Russian propagandists. Meanwhile, despite the narratives on both sides, the town has not been destroyed. The Bakhmut's suburbs - in the east, and in the north, where the Russian offensive is the strongest - look bad. But even there, we cannot say we're witnessing total destruction. Not many houses have been completely destroyed. Many of them have been damaged, and cannot be used again. In the heart of the city and the remainder, many buildings have been untouched - including the large skyscrapers. Generally, around 33% of the buildings have been damaged - burned-down apartments, or even entire floors. Collapsed roofs, full of holes created by facade fragmentation. Windows, without the windowpanes. The main roads, despite being destroyed by tracked vehicles, can still be used. The trees, street lamps, and poles that have fallen are being removed by the Armed Forces, continuously. Craters left behind by artillery shells can be found here and there - which confirms Bakhmut is not the key target for the artillery shelling. The battle rages on in the suburbs, and shells fly in the air - somewhat above the city. Sometimes „something" may fall in the middle. ANALYSIS