Dashcam footage of Russian soldiers driving an all-terrain vehicle (ATV) down a road deemed the "highway of death" in Pokrovsk has gone viral online as the clip shows destroyed or abandoned vehicles and soldiers.
The post alleges that the Russians driving the ATV were "chased by a drone" and "near the end an artillery shell lands near them and the driver says he's wounded," according to the War Monitor Clips post on X.
The videos come after Moscow's troops continue to advance in Donetsk oblast and approach Pokrovsk, one of the key points of the eastern offensive, as reported by The Kyiv Independent.
Russians racing down a "highway of death" near Pokrovsk on an ATV, loads of wrecks and carnage on the road. They are allegedly being chased by a drone, near the end an artillery shell lands near them and the driver says he's wounded pic.twitter.com/VWc3m7mMHo
— War Monitor Clips (@WarMonitorClips) January 10, 2025Newsweek reached out to the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation for comment via email outside of business hours.
Why It Matters
The "highway of death" is significant because the footage, showing destroyed equipment and soldiers that have been killed, clearly illustrates the amount of fighting that has taken place near Pokrovsk, emphasizing its significance as territory.
Further, while it is unknown if the equipment littered on the highway is Russian or Ukrainian, it does indicate that large amounts of equipment have been destroyed, contributing to Russia's equipment shortage.
What To Know
The Telegram channel Military Informant, providing updates on Russian military activity in the war, posted the video of a Russian soldier driving towards Pokrovsk on "death road" and wrote: "The road is littered with damaged equipment. While the threat of enemy FPV [first-person view drones] remains relevant, the solution to the task of combating it should be a priority for the command."
As the war between Russia and Ukraine has escalated in the last few months and fighting in Donetsk has increased, numerous videos depicting roads of death have surfaced on X, formerly known as Twitter, depicting the casualties in terms of equipment and troops.
Pokrovsk, known as a "fortress city" located in central Ukraine, is a key delivery and distribution hub for Ukraine's forces on the front lines and is connected to other defensive cities including Sloviansk, Kramatorsk, Druzhkivka and Kostiantynivka.
Located at the crossroads of road and railway links, its population has dwindled from 60,000 pre-war to 11,000. It is also home to a mine that supplied Kyiv's once-large steel industry, as reported by Reuters.
Viktor Trehubov, spokesman for Ukraine's Khortytsia group of forces, told Ukrainian national television, "The Pokrovsk direction remains the hottest and there the Russians attacked 34 times (in the past 24 hours) and tried to break through our defenses south of Pokrovsk. They [Russians] don't go directly into the city because it means heavy urban fighting. So they first try to bypass the city and interrupt the logistics chains."
What People Are Saying
Yaroslav Trofimov, chief foreign affairs correspondent of The Wall Street Journal, wrote on X: "The road of death. Quite a video of the damage that Ukrainian drone teams are inflicting on Russian forces trying to advance toward Pokrovsk. The operator says at the end that he had been hit by shrapnel. Filmed this morning by a Russian soldier who posted that Ukrainian drones now are guided by optical wire and therefore are immune to jamming. Source: https://t.me/bch3by/2552."
Serhii Grabskyi, a military expert and retired Ukrainian Armed Forces colonel, spoke to the Ukrainian radio channel Radio NV about Russia's push to seize Pokrovsk and said: "The situation in Pokrovsk shows that the enemy, despite its significant numerical advantage, currently lacks sufficient resources to launch an assault on this settlement. It indicates that the enemy cannot sustain the pace it initially set.
"To maintain a certain pace of advancement, the Russians must provide resources to support it. However, Russia finds itself in a situation where it is physically incapable of sustaining such a speed. Therefore, it is compelled to scale back its offensive ambitions.
"The losses of the Russian army in 2024 amount to 423,000 personnel. The Russian military machine cannot sustain such losses because its training system can only prepare approximately 320,000–350,000 troops. It is something we must exploit," as reported by Euromaidan Press.
What Happens Next
It is unknown whether Russia will capture Pokrovsk as fighting in the region continues to escalate or if they lack the troops and equipment to do so.
If Moscow manages to seize the city, Ukraine's ability to continue fighting and sending supplies to the front lines may be jeopardized.
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