Live updates: Russia invades Ukraine, NATO, G7, European Council leaders meet


A satellite image shows a crater in a field in central Izyum.  On one side of the crater is the burnt wreckage of a school, on the other side a football field is visible.   (Maxar Technologies)

Intense clashes around Izyum have left much of the city destroyed, city officials say, with new satellite images revealing the extent of the devastation in the eastern Ukrainian city.

The images were taken on Thursday by Maxar Technologies.

They show a massive crater about 40 feet (12 meters) wide in a field in the city’s central area. The burnt wreckage of a school lies on one side of the crater, with a football field on the other. Part of a hospital across the street is also seen destroyed.  

A large boiler building and several residential building around it were destroyed.
A large boiler building and several residential building around it were destroyed. (Maxar Technologies)

The city has been caught in the crossfire as Russia attempts to link advances made in the Kharkiv region of northern Ukraine with its stronghold in the far east of the country.

Council deputy Max Strelnyk told CNN on Thursday the city had been “completely destroyed” by Russian aircraft and artillery, even as fierce battles continued inside Izyum for control of the ground.

A convoy of Russian self-propelled artillery is seen moving south towards Izyum.
A convoy of Russian self-propelled artillery is seen moving south towards Izyum. (Maxar Technologies)

North of the school in the satellite images, a large boiler building and every nearby residential building appears destroyed. There does not appear to be any identifiable military targets in this part of central Izyum. 

About 3 miles (5 kilometers) northwest of Izyum, a convoy of Russian self-propelled artillery is seen moving toward the city.

Russian troops now control the city sectors on the northern bank of the Seversky Donets River, which splits Izyum in half, Strelnyk said. The Ukrainians control the city sectors on the southern bank of the river.  

Three miles northeast of the city, Russian self-propelled artillery are also seen positioned in a field, their turrets pointing toward central Izyum.

Russian self-propelled artillery in a field, with their turrets pointing toward central Izyum.
Russian self-propelled artillery in a field, with their turrets pointing toward central Izyum. (Maxar Technologies)

Another image shows two vehicle bridges crossing the Seversky Donets River have been partially destroyed, in what appears to be a purposeful strike to stop a Russian advance across the river.

But the Russians have found a way around, and are now advancing on the city from the south.

A pontoon bridge over the Seversky Donets River.
A pontoon bridge over the Seversky Donets River. (Maxar Technologies)

To bypass the blown bridges, the Russians have erected two pontoon bridges over the Seversky Donets River to encircle the city. A mile from those bridges, on the southern bank of the river, a convoy of tanks are seen moving along a highway toward the Ukrainian-controlled sectors of Izyum.

A  convoy of tanks moving north along towards Izyum. 
A convoy of tanks moving north along towards Izyum.  (Maxar Technologies)



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