Drone video shows views of Vuhledar after years of fighting

Soldiers of the 37th motorized rifle brigade of the 36th Army of the Vostok group of Russian Armed Forces made a first drone video of Vuhledar. The video shows the aerial view of the city after years of fighting.

The Russian military installed a Russian flag on the roof of one of the multi-story buildings. The footage shows destroyed, charred multi-story buildings and private houses after long battles. No movement of equipment or units was noticed in the city.

On October 3, the Russian Defense Ministry announced that the Russian military (units of the Vostok group of forces) took full control of the city of Vuhledar in the Donetsk People's Republic. The day before, the Armed Forces of Ukraine admitted their withdrawal from the city. The battles for Vuhledar lasted more than two years.

Vuhledar to be restored after it is cleared of mines

The head of the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) Denis Pushilin commented on the transfer of Vuhledar under the control of the Russian Armed Forces. The city has an advantageous geographical location. In particular, the settlement is located on a commanding height.

The Russian military also took control of underground shelters and passages of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The shelters were created and used during ten years of the conflict in the east of Ukraine.

There are about 115 civilians staying in the city, Pushilin also said. They currently receive assistance from the army, but in the future this functionality will be transferred to relevant departments of the DPR, he added.

Plans for the restoration of Vuhledar will appear after the city is cleared of mines, the head of the region said.

Syrsky orders to strengthen defence

After the loss of Vuhledar, the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Alexander Syrsky ordered to strengthen the defense on the eastern section of the front in the Kyiv-controlled part of the DPR.

The commander-in-chief specified that he was working in "one of the hottest sections of the front" as part of the 25th Sicheslav Airborne Brigade, which operates in the Pokrovsky direction.

Former adviser to Leonid Kuchma Oleg Soskin earlier said that Ukraine had lost the 72nd separate mechanized brigade in Vuhledar. According to him, a fully staffed unit was "wiped out" because the command did not allow the fighters to retreat from their positions.