Urban warfare has always been one of the most unpredictable and dangerous forms of combat.
Soldiers move through ruined buildings and narrow streets, never knowing what waits around the next corner.
Close-quarters battles are intense, with enemies often separated by only a few feet.
The landscape of war changes when fighters take shelter in underground spaces, turning basements and tunnels into battlegrounds where survival depends on quick thinking and rapid decisions.
Surrender or die
In the town of Toretsk, located in Ukraine’s Donetsk region, Ukrainian soldiers from the Azov Brigade have released footage showing the reality of street-to-street combat.
The video captures a reconnaissance platoon engaging Russian troops who have taken cover in basements beneath destroyed houses.
Ukrainian forces approach one of these underground shelters and issue an ultimatum to those inside.
"You have two choices. Surrender or die," one soldier says, giving them ten seconds to decide.
A voice from inside responds, saying they are wounded and preparing to come out. Instead of surrendering, the Russian soldiers throw a grenade toward the Ukrainian fighters.
The explosion forces them to take cover before returning fire through a hole in the basement ceiling.
More grenades are tossed inside to neutralize the threat. A similar scene unfolds at another location, where Russian troops respond to a surrender call with gunfire.
The Ukrainian soldiers react immediately, launching grenades and firing into the basement until there is no movement.
The footage also captures a moment that stands apart from the fighting. Ukrainian troops enter a damaged home and discover a local resident who has not evacuated.
He tells them his wife is hiding in the basement. The soldiers inform him that evacuation will take place under the cover of darkness and instruct him to gather his belongings.
