The Russian forces that invaded Ukraine a little over a year ago have been attacking Bakhmut for months. / Photo: AP
Ukrainian military commanders are determined to hold on to Bakhmut, authorities in Kiev said Monday, even as continued attacks by Russian forces on the devastated eastern Ukrainian city that they have been trying to capture for six months have claimed thousands of lives. .
According to AP, the office of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy indicated that the president chaired a meeting with military officials during which the country’s high command advocated strengthening Ukrainian positions in Bakhmut.
Intensive Russian artillery attacks targeted the Donetsk region city and nearby villages as Moscow deployed more resources there in an apparent attempt to crack down on resistance in Bakhmut, according to local authorities.
“Civilians are fleeing the region to escape Russian attacks that continue around the clock while more Russian troops and weapons are deployed there,” Donetsk Governor Pavlo Kyrylenko said.
Russian forces that invaded Ukraine a little over a year ago have attacked Bakhmut for months, forcing kyiv’s troops on the defensive but failing to deliver a decisive blow.
More broadly, Russia continues to struggle to build momentum on the battlefield. The full-scale invasion that Moscow launched on February 24, 2022 soon stalled and then had to pull back in the face of a Ukrainian counteroffensive. During the extremely cold winter months, the fighting has mostly stagnated.
Bakhmut has no major strategic value, and analysts say his possible downfall is unlikely to bring regarding a turning point in the conflict.
Its importance has become psychological, for Russian President Vladimir Putin prevailing there will ultimately deliver good news from the battlefield, while for Kiev the show of courage and resilience reinforces the message that Ukraine is clinging following a year. of brutal attacks to cement support among its Western allies.
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin backed that stance Monday, saying during a visit to Jordan that Bakhmut has “more symbolic value than… strategic and operational value.”
Ukraine / With AP information
