“Heavy fighting” with Russian forces is ongoing around the center of Bakhmout in eastern Ukraine, the commander of Ukraine’s Ground Forces, Oleksandr Syrsky, said on Monday. Information was also confirmed by the Russian side.
“Assault detachments (of the Russian paramilitary group) are attacking Wagner from several directions, trying to break through the defenses of our troops and advance towards the central quarters,” said General Syrsky, quoted by the Army Press Center.
“The closer we get to the city center, the harder the fighting gets,” reiterated Evgeni Prigojine, head of Wagner, whose men are on the front lines in the battle for Bachmout, which the Russian army has been trying to capture since the summer, at the cost of heavy casualties.
However, Mr. Syrsky assured that the Ukrainian troops “inflicted significant casualties on the enemy.” “With the fire of artillery, tanks (…) all attempts to conquer the city are repelled,” he argued.
The town of Bakhmout, which had a population of 70,000 before the Russian invasion in February 2022, has been the epicenter of fighting on Ukraine’s eastern front for months.
Although this city, largely destroyed by bombing, has become one of the symbols of fierce Ukrainian resistance to the invasion, experts dispute its strategic importance.
In this regard, some in Ukraine are wondering about the need for Kiev’s armed forces to fight for this city, whose defense means heavy casualties for the Ukrainian army as well.
Losses are likely to increase if Russian troops manage to encircle Bakhmout, having already cut off several important supply routes for Ukrainian soldiers.
Bakhmout could fall “in the coming days,” NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg warned last week.
For the Ukrainian command it is a matter of holding Bakhmout for as long as possible so that Russia will deploy maximum men, weapons and ammunition there and feel weakened when Ukraine launches its counter-offensive.