New footage from the Ukrainian front shows intense fighting between Russian forces and entrenched defenders on the contested ‘last route out of Bakhmut’.
The clip shows the Ukrainian volunteer corps “Da Vinci Wolves” suppressing Russian forces attempting to cross no man’s land and attack a fortified position.
Ukrainian forces quickly recover from a shell explosion at the shelter’s opening, assessing injuries and reporting that “orcs jumped into our trenches.”
Emerging with little cover to quell the advancing Russians, they stand around the bunker and shoot down targets as they crawl away.
After months of intense fighting surrounding the symbolically important city of Bakhmut, the end of winter is expected to mark a crucial turning point in the war – although both sides are reportedly struggling with equipment and supply lines.
A Ukrainian soldier digs as troops mull over the death of a soldier
Suddenly an explosive shakes the excavation, causing the soldier to fall at the mouth of the trench
Soldiers search for casualties and report the attack before preparing for a clash
The originally 11-minute video begins with Ukrainian forces turning off a piece of open land. Around the bunker are dead and dying trees. Smoke rises in the distance.
The troops, claimed to be among the best trained and equipped of the Volunteer Corps, enter a bunker dug in the ground and converse with Allied soldiers. A fallen soldier is identified and one thinks: “Yes, brother, that’s how it is in war”.
The soldiers take a moment’s breather in the trench while one – later called “Lekha” – digs in the ground at the mouth of the trench. Seemingly without warning, a grenade goes off nearby and Lekha falls on her stomach.
Peers look at Lekha and the camera cuts to someone radioing the attack. They stand up and squeeze out of the enclosed space as explosives fly overhead.
The cameraman moves around the ditch behind a knoll to hide. From the high ground, he aims at a line of prone Russian soldiers trying to escape.
The Battle of Bakhmut has turned the city and surrounding areas into a hellscape over the past eight and a half months.
The city lies at a key crossroads of supply routes and was seen as a key launching pad for attacks deeper into the Donbass when fighting began in May 2022.
The Russian armed forces, after a series of setbacks over the past year, have also clung to the city’s symbolic importance.
In late 2022, as Ukrainian counter-offensives regained ground in the east of the country, the front between Bakhmut and Soledar in the north became a key focus for both sides.
Russian shelling of the city escalated last November as Russia managed to refill the lines. Both sides were soon urged to dig into fortified trenches.
Winter slowed progress on both sides as the weather worsened and movement became more difficult.
In February, Russian soldiers began speaking out against the suicide bombings of Wagner Group mercenary troops, advancing in waves of people under heavy artillery fire in scenes reminiscent of the Somme.
The advances would result in huge casualties for both Ukraine and the invading Russians, who increasingly reinforced the invading forces with a shield of ex-convicts.
An inside source, likely from within the Wagner Group, told Russian Criminal that groups of eight are advancing in waves. Each attack usually consists of four waves, but can take up to 14 waves to capture a contested area, as seen in Soledar.
The source said casualties often totaled a hundred or more per section.
In March, an elite Russian armored brigade appeared to mutiny after being ordered to drive straight into a heavily fortified minefield dubbed the “Corridor of Death” on the Vuhledar front about three hours south of Bakhmut.
In April, Russia built a 45-mile “mega-trench” visible from space along the southern Zaporizhia region as it prepared for a Ukrainian counteroffensive.
Troops radio that “orcs” have jumped into their trenches outside the town of Bakhmut
A grenade flies through the air as Ukrainian troops push out of the bunker
Explosives fly overhead as the troops emerge from the dugout and crush the attack
A soldier works his way up to a slightly elevated position and opens fire on the Russians
The soldier is seen reloading after firing at soldiers being held in no man’s land near Bakhmut
Later in April, a leak of top-secret Pentagon files revealed that American planners doubted Ukraine’s ability to effectively conduct the expected spring counter-offensive.
They raised concerns about Ukraine’s ability to replenish depleted lines and the rate at which the defenders burned through vital anti-aircraft munitions.
Leaks indicated that Ukraine would run out of S-300 anti-aircraft missiles by May 2, hampering the ability to stop Russian advances.
As of March 2022, the Russian Air Force, the VKS, is unable to operate effectively in Ukrainian airspace due to widespread and dispersed air defenses.
Senior military officials in Ukraine warn that if Ukraine does not receive foreign aid, this could change and put cities and power plants at risk.