Russian Forces Achieving Progress in Bakhmut

For the past several months, Bakhmut and its surrounding towns have been the focal point of attacks by Russia, which launched a special military operation in Ukraine on February 24 last year. 

For the Kremlin, capturing Bakhmut is essential for achieving its stated goal of taking control of the whole of Donetsk, one of the four Ukrainian regions - along with Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia - that Moscow added to the Russian Federation following referendums in the said regions in September last year. 

Moscow says Bakhmut would be a stepping stone and a rare battlefield gain in completing the capture of the Donbas industrial region [composed of Donetsk and Luhansk], one of Moscow’s most important objectives. 

On Wednesday evening, Ukrainian military officials said that Russian forces had had some progress in the flashpoint city, stressing, however, that their fighters were still holding on in the battle. 

“Enemy forces had a degree of success in their actions aimed at storming the city of Bakhmut. Our defenders are holding the city and are repelling numerous enemy attacks,” the General Staff of the Ukrainian armed forces said in a regular nighttime report. 

On Tuesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said any Russian victory in Bakhmut could be perilous, warning that unless Ukraine wins the battle, Russia could start drawing international support for a deal that could require Kiev to make unacceptable compromises. 

“If Bakhmut fell to Russian forces, their president, Vladimir Putin, would sell this victory to the West, to his society, to China,” Zelensky stated.