In the small Ukrainian town of Bakhmut, where the heaviest and bloodiest battles take place during the Russian offensive war, Ukrainian soldiers are currently fighting for every house. There are heavy losses on both sides. A reporter from the AFP news agency went to the front with the Ukrainian armed forces.
Some footage (see video above) shows house-to-house fighting in a district of Bakhmut. Ukrainian soldiers move with great caution between the largely empty buildings. The images also illustrate the extent of the city’s destruction in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk Oblast. Before the war, the city, which is now largely destroyed, had about 70,000 inhabitants. Now it is practically deserted – only the soldiers risk their lives here every day.
Kiev does not want to give up Bakhmut
At the beginning of the week, the Russian Defense Ministry reported that Bakhmut was completely surrounded, but Kiev vehemently contradicted this statement. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has vowed to continue defending the disputed city of Bakhmut. “It is impossible for us to give up Bakhmut,” he told Al-Arabiya news channel. A withdrawal “would broaden the front and allow Russian troops and Wagner to capture more of our country,” Zelensky said.
“The situation is now tense. The enemy is conducting offensive operations along the entire front line, especially in the city,” says the head of the emergency evacuation units, deputy brigade commander Mosentsev. The Russians failed to encircle the outskirts of the city The enemy has now focused all their efforts on the city. “There are offensive operations at night and during the day in the central part, in the southern part and in the northern part.”
Massive losses on both sides
Both Russia and Ukraine suffer huge losses in Bakhmut. These could add up even further, as the Russian mercenary group Wagner recently announced that it would no longer take prisoners of war in the fighting for Bakhmut, instead killing enemy soldiers immediately.
Most of the city’s residents have long since fled. “Most of them have moved. In February there was life here, there was a market and so on. Only those who have not stayed anywhere else have stayed here,” the head of the emergency evacuation units told AFP reporters.
City has a high symbolic significance
The Battle of Bakhmut is the longest running of the years long Russian offensive in Ukraine. The town has been largely destroyed and abandoned after months of fighting. Given the fighting that has been going on for months, with heavy casualties on both sides, the city has acquired a high symbolic importance.
Bachmut von Bachmut is only of limited military importance. “An advance to the Kramatork-Slovyansk defense line is not possible for the Russian army, even after the capture of Bakhmut. The Ukrainian troops were able to retreat to the northwestern defense lines,” Russia expert Gerhard Mangott explained in an interview with krone.at.
Conquest would be Russian prestige success
The capture of Bakhmut would be Russia’s first capture of a Ukrainian city in many months. But the leadership in Kiev does not want to leave this success to Moscow. Thus, holding this city also has symbolic and ideological significance for the Ukrainian side. However, there are many indications that the Ukrainian defenders in Bakhmut will not hold out much longer, Mangott said.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
