There are growing signs of the fall of the fortress city in Donbass, but the consequences would likely be manageable. Meanwhile, the United States is suspicious of China’s plans to provide Russia with military support.
Kyiv/Moscow/Vienna. In Donbass, there are growing signs that the months-fought Ukrainian “fortress city” Bakhmut is likely to fall. Maps show that it is surrounded on three sides by the Russians and the open space to the west is only about six miles wide. Over the weekend, Ukrainian soldiers in Siversk, north of Bakhmut, said they were preparing for the next Russian attacks. One officer said, “If the Russians take Bachmut, we’re half surrounded here.”
Since December, the Russians in particular have thrown more and more units into the Battle of Bakhmut, which played out like trench warfare on the Western and Italian fronts in World War I. The losses are immeasurable. However, a Russian victory would not necessarily allow for an operational breakthrough into the rest of the Donetsk region.