Russian forces claim to have surrounded the city. British intelligence reported that, on Saturday, the Ukrainian defenses of the city are under increasing and strong pressure.
Heavy fighting is taking place around and inside Bakhmut on Saturday morning. The Ukrainian defense of the eastern Ukrainian city of Donetsk is under strong and escalating pressure, according to the British Ministry of Defense. Twitter.
According to intelligence, regular Russian forces and the Wagner Group have made progress in the northern part of the city, which is currently controlled by Ukrainian soldiers.
This position is vulnerable to attack from three sides, according to the ministry’s daily update on the war in Ukraine.
Ukraine responded by reinforcing the defensive positions at Bakhmut with specially trained elite soldiers.
In addition, Ukrainian supply lines outside the city are becoming increasingly limited, according to the update.
Ukraine controlled withdrawal
At the same time, the Ukrainian forces in Bakhmut are attacking.
Ukrainian forces destroyed two major bridges in Bakhmut in the past 36 hours, according to a US think tank. Institute for the Study of War.
It will apply to the bridge that crosses the Pakhmutivka River northeast of Bakhmut and the bridge that serves as an access road to the west of the city.
The destruction of the bridges may be an attempt to limit Russian travel to eastern Ukraine, and to weaken a possible Russian exit route west of the city, according to a think tank.
Russian forces have been trying to control Bakhmut since May 2022, and have suffered heavy losses in the attempt.
At the end of February, the VG visited a front-line Ukrainian position on the edge of the Bakhmut region:
– He needs to win
On Friday, the head of the Wagner Group, Yevgeny Prigozhin — also known as “Putin’s chef” — claimed the city in eastern Ukraine was “practically surrounded” by Russian soldiers.
Bakhmut had about 70 thousand inhabitants before the war. 6,000 of them are still in the city.
Recent Russian developments have created a dilemma for Ukraine’s political and military leadership: when to withdraw from the city to save lives?
Read also
Battle of Bakhmut: – You used a lot of resources to win there
On Friday, the Wagner Group claimed to have surrounded Pakhmut in eastern Ukraine.
Senior researcher Tor Bukkvoll told VG that there was a place in Bakhmut control for Russia, but that it wouldn’t lead to any drastic changes in the war.
– Russia kept Bakhmut because it used a lot of resources to win there. The more they invest there, Buckfull says, the more important it is to win.
Russia needs a victory to show people that they can achieve something.
“Coffee trailblazer. Certified pop culture lover. Infuriatingly humble gamer.”
