'It's Pistols Against Tanks' Losses In Ukraine Test Russians' Faith

The satellite and drone imagery from above Bilohorivka tells a tale of folly and destruction.

- Andrew Roth and Pjotr Sauer

Dozens of Russian tanks, infantry fighting vehicles and trucks lie destroyed, some sinking into the waters of the Donets River by a broken pontoon bridge, pointing to the latest disaster in Russia's three-month war in Ukraine.

The toll of Russia's attempts to cross the river, part of its costly offensive in the east, are staggering: more than 485 killed and as many as 80 vehicles destroyed, according to one estimate, although no numbers have been confirmed.

As Russia continues to hide the scale of its losses in Ukraine, more information has leaked out, angering the families of Russian soldiers and discouraging people who had supported the invasion. "I look at my government totally different since the war started," said Tatyana Efremenko, 39, whose son Nikita Efremenko was a conscript on the Moskva missile cruiser when it was sunk in a Ukrainian missile strike a month ago. She is still searching for her son. “There are some very harsh things I would like to say about our leadership, but it may be best if I don't because they would put me in prison for it."

In Russian-controlled eastern Ukraine, wives of fighters have complained on camera that their husbands were left behind as Russian forces retreated across the border near Kharkiv.

Kyiv has said it has the remains of thousands of Russian soldiers but Moscow will not accept them because that would force it to admit the high death toll. As evidence of the Bilohorivka rout became clear over the past week, even some pro-Russian cheerleaders appeared to be losing faith in the wisdom of the country's military leadership.