The situation in Bakhmut is constantly on the agenda. The commander of the Ukrainian land forces, Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskyi, stated that the Russian armed forces had “turned to the so-called scorched earth tactic” in the city, which has been under siege for weeks in the Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine, adding that Russia is “burning”. It is destroying buildings and positions with air strikes and artillery fire.” Emphasizing that the Ukrainian defense continues, Syrskyi said, “The situation is difficult but under control.
“Bakhmut Resists”
“Bakhmut is resisting and” has a supply of weapons, but “the Russians outnumber us and have more ammunition”. This was said a few days ago by Yuriy Syrotyuk, a Ukrainian military man, in an interview with national television, stating that the situation in Bakhmut was “really difficult” for the Kiev forces as they were outnumbered by the Russian troops. Wagner warriors.
“There is hell in Bakhmut. We are currently holding the right flank of the city’s defense. Enemy artillery is firing nonstop,” he said. “The clashes in the city are the most difficult because we are very close to the enemy,” said Serhiy Cherevaty, spokesman for the Eastern Group of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. “However, the supply routes are still open and the Ukrainian forces are holding their positions,” he said, noting that Wagner’s mercenary fighters were “the most aggressive in the direction of Bakhmut” and that Russian paratroopers were also engaged in the area. .
Unofficial reports – remember cnn – suggests that Russian forces continue to make slow advances from central Bakhmut and into the western parts of the city, with the train station as the next potential key target to be captured.
BAKHMUT CITY /1345 UTC 10 APL/ UKR Group E. Forces Commander General Oleksandr Syrsky visited the Bakhmut front. He stated that the RU had resorted to the “Syrian tactic” of indiscriminate air and artillery strikes on the urban area. Intense conflict continues. pic.twitter.com/36ei7lVRnt
—Chuck Pfarrer | Indicators and Warnings | (@ChuckPfarrer) April 10, 2023
Ukraine also accused Moscow of using “scorching” tactics in its attack on Sievierodonetsk, a city in the eastern Luhansk region, last summer. Kiev forces were forced to withdraw in July after a massive Russian offensive. Members of the Ukrainian General Staff also said that it took time for Bakhmut’s defense to build up and rebuild forces for the very exaggerated spring offensive, and that Russian forces trying to seize control inflicted heavy losses.
General Syrskyi also said that the Kremlin brought in special forces and airborne assault units to support the attack on the city, since members of the Russian paramilitary group Wagner are now absolutely “exhausted”, because the “Wagnerians” have been leading the attack on Bakhmut for several years. moon. Denys Pushilin, one of the pro-Russian separatist leaders at the head of the occupied Donetsk region, also glanced at Bakhmut yesterday. He posted on Telegram the images of him appearing in camouflage in front of a square filled with rubble and rubble in a central part of the mining town in Donbass.
Why is Bakhmut so important?
Using massive amounts of infantry, artillery and armored vehicles, Russia is aiming for the short-term “fall” of Bakhmut. The capture of the city will represent the first major wartime success since Russia’s conquest of nearby Lysychansk nearly ten months ago, and the only significant change in regional control since Ukraine liberated Kherson and surrounding areas on the west bank of the Dnipro River in November 2022. . Capturing the city would bring Russia closer to its goal of controlling the entire Donetsk region, one of four regions in eastern and southern Ukraine that was annexed by Moscow in the infamous “nonsense” referendums last September.
After more than eight months of heavy fighting in the industrial city near Donetsk in eastern Ukraine, neither Ukraine nor Russia is willing to surrender. No tactical retreat. Hundreds die every day. Bakhmut had a population of 70,000 before the war and was known only for its pre-war salt mining industry. Strategic and operational value is limited, according to US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin: “Bakhmut’s fall does not mean a change in the course of the war”. So far, a vast pile of rubble has remained in the city, some estimated three thousand people, all of whom have been forced to live in underground bunkers. “The only decisive turning point in this war may be the fall of Kiev,” Andrea Margelletti, head of the Cesi Center for International Studies, said recently. But there are those who do not think so.
Bakhmut, although probably not decisive for the overall fate of the war, is nevertheless a real destiny. centers Although the Ukrainian authorities tried to minimize the impact of the possible Russian takeover of the city, Kiev supplied troops to the region. Analysts doubt that Russia will use the city as a springboard to advance quickly in other cities in eastern Ukraine, such as Kramatorsk and Sloviansk. But the Ukrainian government warned that the risk still remains.
Ukraine has repeatedly explained in recent months that there is another reason to keep fighting for a medium-sized city that was almost unknown to many even in Ukraine before the war. This is because some of Russia’s best combat units continue to be deployed on land. That is, you can reduce the attack potential of the enemy day by day. Western officials estimate that around 30,000 Russian soldiers were killed or wounded in and around Bakhmut. Numbers that cannot be independently verified.
Source: Today IT

Karen Clayton is a seasoned journalist and author at The Nation Update, with a focus on world news and current events. She has a background in international relations, which gives her a deep understanding of the political, economic and social factors that shape the global landscape. She writes about a wide range of topics, including conflicts, political upheavals, and economic trends, as well as humanitarian crisis and human rights issues.