A unit of Ukrainian drone pilots stationed in Pokrovsk has told RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service they have become a high-value target for Russian forces.
Correspondent Yevhenia Kytaiva-Rusetska recently visited the destroyed frontline town for the first time in two months.
"The high-rise buildings are completely destroyed, but people are still living here. It has totally changed," she said.
Amid the destruction, several first-person view (FPV) drone operators were preparing for their next mission. The unit has had to take great care not to be spotted by Russian reconnaissance.
"When [Russian forces] search for us, they don't hold back. FPV drone pilots are their main target," said one soldier, identified by the call sign Maryachok. "They are no longer hunting snipers or artillerymen. They are hunting [drone] pilots," he added.
Also known as kamikaze drones, these weapons can precisely target enemy troops, often with pinpoint accuracy with the aid of live video feeds. The drones have also allowed the pilots to get a bird's-eye view of the large-scale destruction of Pokrovsk, a transport hub in Ukraine's Donetsk region with a pre-war population of some 60,000 people.
"I saw the town before the war, and I saw the town after the war. My first impression was that it was just like an apocalypse in the movies," said Maryachok.
"You drive in and it's an empty town. Then you realize the scale of the tragedy. This was once a vibrant town, and now it's gone," he added.
Months of fierce fighting have taken a huge toll on the town, which appears uninhabitable even as some residents remain in place. Despite ongoing high-level diplomatic efforts to reach a cease-fire, intense assaults have continued.
Ukraine's top military commander recently said Russia's offensive to take Pokrovsk had stalled. But as fighting continues, the town and its remaining residents are paying a heavy price.
