After a nine-month assault that killed tens of thousands of soldiers, Russia claims Bakhmut, Ukraine’s eastern city. Top Ukrainian military officers say the war is far from over.
Ukrainian officials admit that they now only control a small portion of Bakhmut.
However, Ukraine claims that the presence of their fighters has been critical in their plan of tiring the Russian military. And they claim that their current positions in the districts surrounding Bakhmut will allow them to launch an offensive inside the 400-year-old city.
“Even though we now control a small portion of Bakhmut, the importance of its defence does not diminish.” Said Col.-Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi, commander of the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ ground forces. “This allows us to enter the city if the situation changes.” And that will undoubtedly occur.”
Because of the fog of battle, it was hard to ascertain the situation in Bakhmut. Wagner mercenaries backed by Russia captured the Bakhmut, according to Russia’s defence ministry, although Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy declared Bakhmut was not occupied.
The city is completely under Russian control
Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin stated in a video uploaded on Telegram that the city was completely under Russian control about lunchtime Saturday. Prigozhin declared, holding a Russian flag in front of a group of at least nine masked men in a body army wielding heavy weapons. “This afternoon at 12:00, Bakhmut was completely taken.”
More importantly for Ukraine, the large number of Russian fatalities and sapping of enemy morale for the little piece of the 1,500-kilometer (932-mile) front line as Ukraine prepares for a massive counteroffensive in the 15-month-old war.
“The attackers failed to encircle Bakhmut. They lost some of the city’s heights. “Our troops’ continued advance in the suburbs greatly complicates the enemy’s presence,” said Hanna Maliar, Ukraine’s deputy defence minister. “Our troops have taken the city in a semi-encirclement, which gives us the opportunity to destroy the enemy.”
Bakhmut, located about 55 kilometres (34 miles) north of the Russian-held regional capital of Donetsk, was a key industrial centre surrounded by salt and gypsum mines and home to approximately 80,000 people before the conflict in a country of more than 43 million people.
