KYIV, Ukraine — The Ukrainian village of Ocheretyne in the Donetsk region has faced severe devastation due to ongoing conflict, as revealed in drone footage obtained by The Associated Press. The village has become a significant target for Russian forces.
Russian troops have been advancing in the area, engaging Kyiv’s forces with artillery, drones, and bombs. Ukraine’s military has confirmed that Russian forces have gained control over parts of Ocheretyne, which had a population of about 3,000 before the conflict began. However, the fighting in the village is ongoing.
Residents, including a 98-year-old woman who walked nearly 10 kilometers (6 miles) alone last week, supported by a cane and wearing only slippers, have been forced to flee the village.
The drone footage reveals a scene of devastation, with not a single person visible and every building in Ocheretyne appearing to have been affected by the fighting. Most houses, apartment blocks, and other structures are damaged beyond repair, with many reduced to rubble. A factory on the outskirts of the village has also suffered extensive damage. Smoke can be seen billowing from several buildings, with fires burning in at least two.
Meanwhile, Russia has intensified its attacks on Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, in an effort to damage the region’s energy infrastructure and intimidate its 1.3 million residents. Overnight, Russian forces struck Kharkiv with exploding drones, wounding four people and damaging a two-story civilian building.
According to regional governor Oleh Syniehubov, the four individuals were injured by falling debris. He provided updates on the situation via the Telegram messaging app.
Ukraine’s military reported that Russia launched 13 Shahed drones at the Kharkiv and Dnipropetrovsk regions overnight, all of which were successfully intercepted by Ukrainian air defenses.
Syniehubov also stated that Russia bombed Kharkiv the previous day, causing damage to residential buildings and starting a fire that resulted in the death of an 82-year-old woman and injuries to two men.
Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed to have shot down four U.S.-provided long-range ATACMS missiles over the Crimean Peninsula, which Moscow illegally annexed from Ukraine in 2014. However, no further details were provided.
Recently, Ukraine began using these missiles, secretly provided by the United States, to target Russian-held areas, including a military airfield in Crimea and another location east of the occupied city of Berdyansk, according to U.S. officials. These new missiles have nearly doubled Ukraine's striking distance, reaching up to 300 kilometers (190 miles), compared to the mid-range versions received from the U.S. last October.