On Thursday, the Ukraine Military General Staff admitted that Russian forces are continuing to advance towards Bakhmut in the Donbas region and “storming the city,” while the Ukrainian troops are trying to hold on to the territory.
“Critical” Situation in Bakhmut
Calling the situation “critical,” Ukrainian military analyst Oleh Zhdanov claimed that it was possible for Russian forces to “surround” Bakhmut in order to gain control, as they “cannot win street battles in Bakhmut or take the city by attacking head-on.”
War Diary Day 371
— John Sweeney (@johnsweeneyroar) March 1, 2023
Winter - technically - is over. And the electricity is still on. The news from Bakhmut is bleak but Russia is losing the wider war. pic.twitter.com/NtaepQIBe8
Zhdanov also revealed that the Russian troops are applying “colossal pressure, with wave upon wave of attacks” through reinforcements in an attempt to “sever” the supply routes of the Ukrainian forces.
On Tuesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, too, acknowledged that the “most difficult situation” was materialising in Bakhmut, with Moscow constantly sending forces to “storm [Ukrainian] positions.” Claiming that about 800 Russians died there in less than a week, he remarked, “The intensity of fighting is only increasing.”
Ukraine Might Leave Bakhmut
In this respect, Ukrainian MP Serhiy Rakhmanin noted on Wednesday that Ukrainian forces “will probably have to leave Bakhmut,” as there was no point in “holding it at any cost.” Nonetheless, he added that currently, “Bakhmut will be defended with several aims — firstly, to inflict as many Russian losses as possible and make Russia use its ammunition and resources.”
#Donetsk:#Russian forces advanced within #Bakhmut & continued ground attacks around the city and in the #Avdiivka-Donetsk City area. Ukrainian officials continue to emphasize that Ukrainian troops have the option to conduct a controlled withdrawal from Bakhmut if they see fit. https://t.co/CmHk6Q74BL pic.twitter.com/tkxbcly9UP
— ISW (@TheStudyofWar) March 2, 2023
Similarly, Zelensky’s economic advisor Alexander Rodnyansky predicted that the Ukrainian military would “strategically pull back,” if the need arose. “We’re not going to sacrifice all of our people just for nothing,” he asserted.
According to the commander of Ukraine’s ground forces, Oleksandr Syrskyi, Russia has “dispatched its best-trained Wagner assault units to try to break through” the defences of Ukrainian troops in Bakhmut, despite suffering “significant losses.”
Meanwhile, Eastern Grouping of Ukraine’s Armed Forces Spokesperson Serhii Cherevatyi revealed that Moscow has deployed Wagner mercenaries with combat experience in Libya and Syria, adding that Ukrainian forces are “not allowing [Russians] to systematically break through our defence.”
He further clarified that the Ukrainian military had not yet decided to withdraw from Bakhmut, stressing that if it were to take such a decision, the withdrawal would occur “in an organised manner, without panic.”
A spokesperson for the Ukrainian grouping in Eastern #Ukraine said Wagner was now sending more experienced fighters to Bakhmut, who have fought in #Syria and #Libya
— Michael A. Horowitz (@michaelh992) March 2, 2023
Experts claim that Bakhmut, known for its salt and gypsum mines, has roads connecting to other parts of the Donetsk region — eastwards to the Luhansk border, north-west to Sloviansk, and south-west to Kostiantynivka. Victory would serve as a morale booster for forces, without largely impacting the outcome of the war.
Ukraine “Fiercely” Fighting in Bakhmut
On Wednesday, Wagner Group chief Yevgeny Priogozhin said that the Kyiv regime was “sending additional reserves” to Bakhmut and “trying with all their might to hold the city.”
“Tens of thousands of Ukrainian troops are offering fierce resistance,” he mentioned, adding that the fight was “becoming increasingly deadly with every passing day.”
#Ukrainian soldiers continue to fight for #Bakhmut. pic.twitter.com/XrowaNbVHL
— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) March 2, 2023
Earlier this week, Ukrainian Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Maliar revealed that reinforcements had been sent to Bakhmut. In this respect, Zhdanov noted that the reinforcements might have been dispatched “to gain time” to strengthen Ukraine’s defence positions on a hill in Chasiv Yar about 15 kilometers west of Bakhmut.