Striking new drone footage has laid bare the catastrophic devastation inflicted upon the Ukrainian town of Myrnohrad, which is now reported to be nearly encircled by advancing Russian forces. The video, shot in early December 2025 and provided by the Ukrainian Defense Forces, shows a landscape where barely a single street remains untouched.
A Town Erased from the Earth
The images from Myrnohrad, located in the eastern Donetsk region just 12 kilometres from the key logistics hub of Pokrovsk, reveal destruction so fresh that smoke continues to rise from the ruins. Oleksii Hodzenko, press officer for the drone battalion of the 38th Marine Brigade, stated that soldiers were still fighting inside the town on Wednesday. "They are trying to simply erase the town from the face of the earth," he said.
According to the open-source Ukrainian map DeepState, a tool widely used by military analysts, Russian forces have almost completely surrounded Myrnohrad. Hodzenko confirmed that while a precarious route out remains for Ukrainian troops, relentless Russian efforts have severely hampered logistics. "We can only very rarely carry out even a small rotation of personnel. People sit there for weeks," he explained.
Desperate Logistics and Robotic Resupply
With conventional supply lines strangled, Ukraine's eastern command has turned to innovative and desperate measures. In a statement on Telegram, the command confirmed it was channelling supplies to the embattled troops. Hodzenko revealed that they are now relying on ground-robot drones to carry essential food and water to the remaining soldiers holding their positions. The number of troops left in the town was not disclosed, in keeping with operational security.
Once home to approximately 46,000 people before Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022, Myrnohrad has been systematically reduced to an uninhabitable shell. Over more than a year, it has endured relentless assaults involving 500-kilogram glide bombs, swarms of attack drones, and sustained artillery fire.
"When you sit at the command post and hear the exchanges between units, once every few minutes a radio comes in, 'KAB on Myrnohrad,'" Hodzenko described, referring to the glide bombs. He paid tribute to the defenders, stating, "As of now, all our fighters can do, and all they do, is hold the city as best they can, exerting absolutely inhuman, titanic efforts."
Broader Frontline Context and Diplomatic Signals
The battle for Myrnohrad is part of a wider Russian push in the region. On Tuesday, Russia's defence ministry claimed to have taken control of nearby Pokrovsk, a claim firmly rejected by Ukraine's General Staff. Colonel Volodymyr Polevyi of the 7th Corps Assault Brigade told the AP that Ukrainian forces were still engaged in combat in the northern part of the city as of Wednesday.
These battlefield developments are being leveraged by Moscow on the diplomatic stage. Kremlin presidential aide Yurii Ushakov said on Wednesday that recent Russian military successes had strengthened Moscow's negotiating position in talks with the United States regarding a Washington-drafted plan to end the war.
Amid the grim reality on the ground, Hodzenko issued a direct plea to Ukraine's Western allies for continued support. "Despite some agreements or disagreements between the U.S., Russia, the European Union, NATO, we still need help, in particular military help," he urged. He added a stark warning: "In order for the West not to go to war with Russia after a certain time, the West must certainly help us in any possible way."
