Ukrainian Cities Resemble Dresden and Hiroshima of WWII: Western Media Shocked by the Scale of Russian Destruction in Ukraine
Some Ukrainian cities now resemble London, Dresden, or Hiroshima during World War II due to Russia's barbaric warfare tactics. This was reported by The New York Times, whose journalists used satellite images and computer technology to examine every damaged building in Ukraine.
The team of journalists and scientists analysed radar satellite data and concluded that Ukraine has lost approximately 210,000 buildings along a thousand kilometres of the frontline, as well as structures in the rear.
The analysis revealed that over 900 schools, hospitals, churches, and other facilities in Ukraine have been destroyed or damaged. The most affected were schools – 708 facilities, religious buildings – 109 facilities, and hospitals – 106 facilities.
Among the large cities, Mariupol suffered the most destruction, with 18 hospitals, 34 religious structures, and 237 schools destroyed. The small town of Marinka, which had already been damaged in 2014, was nearly completely destroyed after the 2022 invasion.
Journalists emphasize that this is Russia's method of warfare: destroying cities and seizing their ruins. This tactic has been applied in Rubizhne, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Oleshky, Nova Kakhovka, Kharkiv, Sumy, and Vovchansk.
Notably, the destruction in Russian-controlled territories is significantly less than on the Ukrainian side, as Ukrainian forces do not target civilian infrastructure.
According to estimates by the World Bank, the European Commission, and the UN, as of December 31, 2023, the total cost of reconstruction and recovery in Ukraine is $486 billion. However, NYT journalists note that not all losses can be measured in dollars – in some eastern Ukrainian cities, life that had continued for nearly 200 years has been interrupted.
Additionally, Russia's strikes have destroyed over half of Ukraine's energy generation capacity, the restoration of which will cost billions of dollars and take many years. Before the full-scale invasion in 2022, Ukraine produced about 55 gigawatts of electricity and exported it to Europe, but now only about 20 GW remains.
Secretary of the National Security and Defence Council of Ukraine, Oleksandr Lytvynenko, believes that Russia's goal is to make life unbearable for Ukrainians. Nevertheless, the Ukrainian government plans to create a decentralized energy system that is less vulnerable to attacks and urges energy conservation and the search for alternative sources.
The Ukrainian authorities note that they could not protect the infrastructure and cities due to an insufficient number of air defence systems, but this issue will be addressed after receiving new systems from the USA and European partners.