Russian forces appear close to taking the devastated city of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine after six months of brutal siege warfare as Ukraine’s military remains defiant and determined to hold on.
Summary
Russian forces appear close to taking the devastated city of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine after six months of brutal siege warfare as Ukraine’s military remains defiant and determined to hold on.
- Russian forces have fought for six months to capture Bakhmut at the cost of thousands of Russian soldiers and mercenaries. Although Russian advances have put Ukrainian forces on the defensive, they’ve been unable to deliver a knockout blow and take control of the city.
- The battle appeared to reach a climax in recent days as Russian forces were close to encircling the city, according to the New York Times. Then, Ukrainian brigades launched a new counteroffensive on Saturday morning, showing the underdog Ukrainian forces could not be defeated that easily.
- Street fighting continues in Bakhmut, but Russian forces have not been able to establish control over the devastated eastern city. Approximately 4,000 civilians remain in Bakhmut out of a pre-war population of 75,000.
- Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of the Russian-aligned Wagner Group of mercenaries, warned Russian leaders that their positions around Bakhmut were in danger unless their forces could secure more ammunition.
- Ukrainian forces are also facing ammunition shortages, prompting the United States to pressure Europe into ramping up arms and ammunition production to help keep Ukrainian forces supplied ahead of the crucial spring fighting season.
- CNN reported that any Russian victory would come at immense cost, and noted that more than 90 percent of the pre-war population of Bakhmut have fled the city to escape the fighting. Some observers have estimated that Ukrainian forces have inflicted 7 casualties on the Russians for every 1 Ukrainian casualty.
- According to the Washington Post, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin does not believe a Russian victory at Bakhmut would turn the tide of the war. The Institute for the Study of War reported Ukrainian troops continue to “inflict high casualties” against Russian forces in Bakhmut.
- NBC News reported some Russian soldiers have resorted to fighting with shovels as ammunition shortages continue to plague Russian forces advancing on Bakhmut. The head of the mercenary Wagner Group blamed the Russian defense ministry for supply chain problems and warned the shortages could jeopardize Russian advances.
- According to the Wall Street Journal, Russian forces are using waves of Iranian-made drones to attack Ukrainian forces defending Bakhmut. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin downplayed the significance of the Battle of Bakhmut, saying, “I think it’s more of a symbolic value than it is strategic and operational value.”
- National Review’s Matthew Continetti knocked Biden’s “self-defeating Ukraine strategy” of restricting weapons for Ukraine with self-imposed limitations, a strategy that “risks disaster” for Ukrainian forces. As Continetti writes, the only countries empowered by Biden’s plodding strategy are Russia and China.
- Fox News reported on German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s comments standing up to China if it decides to supply Russia with weapons. Scholz warned of “consequences” but offered no details on what actions Germany, NATO, or the EU could take to punish China.
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© Dominic Moore, 2023
