Chasiv Yar in the Donetsk region has been devastated for months after months of Russian attacks. Once home to 12,000 people, the town is now almost deserted.
Consequences of Russian strikes on Chasiv Yar
The drone video footage obtained by the Associated Press shows almost no buildings left intact in the town.
The apocalyptic destruction is reportedly reminiscent of the towns of Bakhmut and Avdiivka, which Russia captured after months of bombardment and huge losses.
The footage was shot on Monday, 29 April. Neither soldiers nor civilians are visible, except for one man walking along a road between the destroyed buildings.
The strategically important town of Chasiv Yar has been under attack by Russian troops for several months.
According to the AP, its capture would give Russia control of a hilltop from which it could attack other towns that form the backbone of Ukraine's eastern defences.
This would allow Russia to launch a potentially broader offensive, which Ukrainian officials say could take place as early as May.
Vadym Filashkin, the head of the Donetsk Regional Military Administration, said in a telethon on 1 May that 682 residents remain in Chasiv Yar in "very difficult conditions".
He said that those who remained had been without water and electricity for more than a year and that it was "increasingly difficult" for humanitarian aid to reach them.
The Russians want to capture Chasiv Yar by 9th of May
On 14 April, Ukrainian Armed Forces Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said that the Russian military leadership had set a task for its troops to capture Chasiv Yar by 9 of May.
In an interview with NBC News on 21 April, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also said that Russia planned to capture the town by that date and launch a counter-offensive in June.
On 22 April, Lieutenant Colonel Nazar Voloshyn, spokesman for the Khortytsia operational and strategic grouping, said that 20-25,000 Russian troops were trying to storm the town and its surroundings.
