The Russian Ministry of Defense released reconnaissance drone footage on 21/8, showing what it claims to be the "deployment area of the Ukrainian 3rd Separate Assault Brigade" in Slavyansk, one of the last major cities held by Kyiv in Donetsk.

An Iskander-M ballistic missile is then seen striking the location, detonating and creating a large fireball. The Russian military did not disclose when the attack took place or the extent of Ukrainian casualties.

The Ukrainian military has not commented on the video. On 18/8, Ukrainian officials reported that the Russian military launched two Iskander-M missiles at an industrial area in Slavyansk, injuring one person with no fatalities.

AMK Mapping, an open-source intelligence account on X focused on the conflict, stated that the location hit by the Iskander-M missile "was confirmed by locals as the base of the Azov unit," referring to the Ukrainian 3rd Brigade.

"This is why footage of the scene was only released 12 hours after the attack, while the usual time is one to four hours," AMK Mapping noted.

The Ukrainian 3rd Separate Assault Brigade was formed in November 2022 by merging all special operations groups created by former members of the Azov Battalion. This unit is part of the Ukrainian ground forces, not the Azov Corps of the Ukrainian National Guard.

The 3rd Brigade is often deployed to reinforce areas at risk of encirclement by Russia, including the stronghold of Avdeevka.

Slavyansk covers an area of approximately 59 square kilometers and had a pre-war population of over 105,000. The city is situated on the route from Kharkov to Donetsk, part of the urban line dubbed the "backbone of the Ukrainian defense line," comprising Slavyansk, Kramatorsk, Druzhkovka, and Konstantinovka.

Locations of some cities in Donetsk. Graphics: RYV

Nguyen Tien (Theo Zvezda, New Voice Ukraine, AP)