A Russian fibre-optic FPV drone struck an "Epicentre" shopping centre in Sumy City, resulting in a massive fire breaking out.

I recently spoke to someone currently living in Slovyansk, Donetsk Oblast, who was willing to give a quote about their recent experiences in the city, as advancing Russian forces close in from the east:

"I've lived in Slovyansk my whole life and want to share my impressions of the city.

Currently, the outskirts of Slovyansk are only about 6 kilometers from the "gray zone"—a very short distance. The city center is approximately 14 kilometers from the front line. According to monitoring sources (including AMK Mapping), the Russian army has closed in very close, and fighting for neighboring Nikolaevka [Mykolaivka] is likely to begin in the coming months.

As of July, approximately 33,000 people remain in Slovyansk, including approximately 2,000 children. By comparison, last year the population was approximately 55,000, and before the outbreak of full-scale war, over 100,000 people lived here.

Unfortunately, the city is under daily shelling. It is being hit by Gerbera drones and aerial bombs. FPV drone attacks have recently become significantly more frequent: about ten images of equipment being struck right within the city limits have already been recorded. This indicates that the city is increasingly coming under direct fire. If Nikolaevka is occupied, Slovyansk will likely suffer the same fate.

Nevertheless, the city continues to thrive. Shops, supermarkets, pharmacies, cafes, restaurants, flower shops, and even a spa are still open. Public utilities continue to operate daily. Moreover, a youth soccer team trains in Slovyansk—the boys go out for practice every day.

The situation remains extremely dangerous. Last week, four strikes on gas stations were recorded. The city is being systematically attacked with FAB-250, FAB-500, and FAB-1500 aerial bombs. Thankfully, there have been no FAB-3000 strikes yet, although such a threat was actively discussed in local chats.

A week ago, an attack was very close—three FAB-250s fell just 150 meters from me. Luckily, it wasn't an FAB-500, but the blast wave still blew out the windows in the house.

I plan to evacuate within the next month. Forced evacuations are already underway in some areas of the city: families with children are being ordered to leave the areas closest to Nikolaevka and Rai-Aleksandrovka [Rai-Oleksandrivka].

Before leaving, I took a few photos of Slovyansk as a souvenir and want to share them with you."

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I'm turning this into a series of posts, covering the experiences of people living in Russian and Ukrainian cities that experience significant attacks.

If you're currently in a city where there is significant shelling, whether that be in Kyiv, Belgorod, Slovyansk, Zaporizhzhia, or any other place that experiences the day-to-day realities of the war, please DM me @AMK_Mapping1 on Telegram. You would remain entirely anonymous and would be in complete control of what parts I quote.

Aftermath of a Russian fibre-optic FPV drone strike on a petrol station in Sumy.