Russian forces are now so short of ammo that they are telling their troops to use shovels, it emerged yesterday.
The UK's Ministry of Defence revealed that reservists were being told to fight hand to hand. "Recent evidence suggests an increase in close combat in Ukraine," said a MoD spokesman.
"This is probably a result of the Russian command continuing to insist on offensive action largely consisting of dismounted infantry, with less support from artillery fire because Russia is short of munitions."
The use of shovels emerged as dramatic aerial footage shows a Ukrainian city completely destroyed by war.
The images from the Russian military reveal the pulverised remains of Maryinka, once home to 10,000 inhabitants.
There were wide swathes of land where buildings used to stand and grey hulks of remaining structures, a dystopian landscape straight out of a sci-fi movie.
Maryinka has been a battleground for nearly a decade, dating back to when Russia first invaded Ukraine in 2014.
In Bakhmut, around 70 miles north, the battle rages for control of the city.
Deputy mayor Oleksandr Marchenko also told the BBC the remaining 4,000 civilians are living in shelters without gas, electricity or water. Mr Marchenko said that the city was "almost destroyed".
The Russian standard-issue MPL-50 shovel was designed in 1869.
The MoD said its continued use as a weapon highlighted 'the brutal and low-tech fighting which has come to characterise much of the war'.
