News
February 23, 2023 | 1:18 p.m
The average life expectancy of a soldier fighting on the front lines in the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut is just four hours, according to an American fighting Russian forces in Donbass.
Former US Marine Troy Offenbecker, in an interview with ABC News, described the intense fighting, which is among the deadliest since Russia launched its invasion a year ago.
Fighting in the war-torn town of Bakhmut has become so bloody it has been dubbed a “meat grinder,” Offenbecker told the outlet.
“It was pretty bad there,” he said.
“Lots of victims. The life expectancy at the front is around four hours.”
The battle for control of the eastern city, which had a pre-war population of about 73,000, was the most persistent battle of the war. In recent weeks, Russian forces have stepped up attacks in eastern and southern Ukraine ahead of an expected full-scale offensive to claim a Russian victory.
Russian forces have surrounded “Bakhmut Fortress” for months, as the city is important to Kiev because it is on a supply route, but have met stiff resistance from Ukrainian troops.
The fighting in the war-torn city of Bakhmut has become so bloody it’s been dubbed the “meat grinder.” AP Russia has stepped up its attacks in hopes of gaining control of the eastern city, which would allow it to cut off supplies to Kiev. Getty Images The struggle for control of Bakhmut was the most persistent struggle of the war. Future release via Getty Images
Offenbecker, who fights with the International Legion, a military unit of foreign fighters, said the artillery was “non-stop.”
“[Russia] I may have encountered a shortage of shells lately, but it’s been non-stop for the past few weeks. All day and all night,” he said.
“With the amount of shells, the amount of armor they brought in, I think it started,” he said. “It’s just hard because the winter wasn’t as cold as usual. They can’t move as much armor as I’m sure they’d like to be able to ground.”
Offenbecker said the artillery was “non-stop”. AP Offenbecker said Russia may be struggling with a lack of shells as fighting has been non-stop. AFP via Getty Images
Although some of the bloodiest fighting has centered around Bakhmut, Offenbecker says there are still some civilian families in the city.
“Many of these families are poor,” he said. “They have nowhere to go… even if they wanted to. So the reality is that there are still many civilians stuck in the middle.”
Load More…
{{#isDisplay}} {{/isDisplay}}{{#isAniviewVideo}} {{/isAniviewVideo}}{{#isSRVideo}} {{/isSRVideo}}
https://nypost.com/2023/02/23/life-expectancy-on-frontline-in-ukraine-4-hours-soldier/?utm_source=url_sitebuttons&utm_medium=site%20buttons&utm_campaign=site%20buttons
Copy the URL to share