Drone footage released on 17 December shows explosions in Bakhmut, eastern Ukraine. The video, verified by the Guardian and Reuters as being filmed in Bakhmut, was recorded in mid-December. Reuters was not able to independently confirm the date the video was filmed.
Although Bakhmut was first shelled by Russian forces in May, it only became a military objective for Moscow after Ukrainian forces withdrew from the nearby city of Popasna in August
