Satellite photos show carnage in Vuhledar where Russian losses are mounting amid Ukrainian defense

• Russia continues to face failure and losses in the Donetsk region near the town of Vuhledar.
• Satellite images show what three months of fighting in the region have done to the land.
• Ukraine continues to push back against Russia's assaults in the east. 

The Kremlin is floundering in east Ukraine where successive Russian assaults near the town of Vuhledar in the Donetsk region continue to fall short more than three months into the offensive.

Videos and photos from the area in recent weeks depict carnage and chaos near the mining town of Vuhledar, even as Russian officials continue to claim that all is going according to plan nearly a year into the unprovoked war. 

The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine seemed to troll Russian forces in Donetsk earlier this month, sharing a Twitter video featuring footage of what appeared to be explosions targeting Russian tanks.

—Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) February 10, 2023

Mounting tactical errors and a growing number of casualties have prompted even Russian military bloggers to increasingly and publicly criticize the war effort in Donetsk — a rare move in a country that has outlawed negative commentary about the conflict.

Vuhledar and its surrounding villages have been the site of concentrated fighting for months. November saw heavy troop losses for Russia and a near mutiny among men of the 155th Marine Brigade stationed in the region after Kremlin officials downplayed reports of casualties following a failed assault. 

Military experts and commentators have chalked up Russia's ongoing problems to a combination of poor leadership by top generals and insufficient troop training among new conscripts, CNN reported. But the Russian Defense Ministry maintains that the assault on Vuhledar is on track; President Vladimir Putin in a Sunday appearance said the 155th Marine Brigade is "fighting heroically."

Putin's comments come even as Denis Pushilin, the leader of the self-declared Donetsk People's Republic, said Friday that Ukrainian forces have significantly slowed Russia's ability to amass more territory in the region, according to CNN.  

A collection of high-rise buildings throughout Vuhledar offer Ukrainian defenders a literal leg-up in combat, as well as sufficient cover from Russia's bombardments, the outlet reported. Tom Cooper, a military historian, told CNN that the battle is akin to fighting in a "big, tall fortress in the middle of an empty, flat desert." 

Farmland and fields to the south of Vuhledar have also seen intense artillery shelling, according to Maxar Satellite Imagery, which captured before and after photos of the destruction done in the village of Petrivka.

Petrivka: Before

Petrivka: After

Ukrainian forces continue to push back against Russia's head-on attacks near Vuhledar. Taking control of the town and region would allow Russia to shore up its access and proximity to occupied Crimea, but continued failures in the area could point to larger problems for the country's military efforts down the line. 

Satellite images also captured what are believed to be Russian military units, including tanks and armored personnel vehicles, deployed along tree lines in residential parts of the region, at times, hiding behind homes and buildings. 

Armored vehicles near the treeline of Vuhledar

Armored vehicles behind residential buildings in Krylivka

—🇺🇦 Ukraine Weapons Tracker (@UAWeapons) February 9, 2023

Even as Ukraine maintains a strong front, CNN reported this week that some units are facing a shortage of munition as Russia rears up its attacks. 

Despite a noted inability to make significant territorial gains in Donetsk thus far, Russia remains capable of unleashing barrages of firepower on Ukraine, a tactic it employed over the weekend in an assault on Vuhledar.