Ukraine’s military says it has moved forward despite fierce resistance by Russian troops north and south of Bakhmut, putting greater pressure on Moscow’s forces to devote resources to the battle as they prepared for a broader Ukrainian counterattack.
Bakhmut, once a city of 80,000 known for its sparkling wine and salt mines, has been the site of some of the bloodiest urban wars in a generation. After nearly a year of fighting, Russian forces gained control of about 90% of the ruined city. But after months of defense, Ukraine launched a coordinated series of counterattacks last week and within days regained ground around the city that took months for Russian forces to capture.
In the previous 48 hours, Ukraine was able to build on last week’s gains and move forward about two kilometers in some directions, said Colonel Serhiy Cherevaty, a spokesman for Ukrainian forces fighting in the east. on national television on Monday night.
Without going into detail, he said that on some fronts the push forward has been slower, with battles taking place over areas the size of three football fields. Colonel Cherevaty also said that Russian forces are counter-attacking in some areas. While his claims cannot be independently verified, Russian army bloggers also recorded Ukrainian gains around Bakhmut in the past week.
The gains are still geographically small – tens of square miles at most – but they represent a shift in momentum that Ukrainian commanders say they hope will continue to develop as they launch the counter-offensive. widely predicted elsewhere along the 600-mile front line.
They are also giving Russia a tough decision on what price it is willing to pay to continue fighting for the ravaged city, potentially drawing resources from other areas that could soon be hit. .
According to Ukrainian military commanders and analysts, Ukraine’s impending counter-offensive is not an isolated event. President Volodymyr Zelensky warned last week that may be delayed no more weapons from its allies, but it’s unclear if that’s the wrong direction, and Ukraine in recent weeks has stepped up attacks on Russian positions deeper behind its front lines. enemy.
Despite an array of Western weapons supporting the counterattack, Ukrainian commanders did not expect the battle ahead to be easy. Andriy Biletsky, commander of Ukraine’s 3rd Strike Brigade, which made the first foray into Russian lines around Bakhmut last week, said in an interview over the weekend that “units Russian tanks are being pulled up, new units are being pulled up.” As he spoke, the sound of battle nearby echoed in the distance.
The fight for Bakhmut was fluid, but the Ukrainian army and Russian military bloggers give a picture of where the most intense battles took place.
To the south, Ukrainian soldiers and commanders reported an advance through a forest south of the village of Ivanivske as they moved toward Klishchiivka, a small village where Wagner’s forces claim to have caught at the end of January. The village is considered to be of strategic importance as it lies on high ground just east of the roads into Bakhmut that could serve as a supply route.
To the north, both sides reported fighting around the highlands around the Berkhovskoye reservoir. The Russian Defense Ministry said over the weekend that its forces were regrouping around the reservoir to “strengthen the defenses”.
Russian military blogger Gray Zone, who has ties to Wagner, report on Friday that newly acquired Ukrainian positions give them “a tactical advantage, allowing them to conduct reconnaissance and effectively use any type of weapon” against Russian troops in the valley. valley below and into the city itself.
But as Russian forces have lost ground around the city, Ukrainian officials say the onslaught against Ukrainian fighters inside the city has only intensified.
Colonel Cherevaty said: “The enemy is above all trying to take the town, making desperate efforts to this end.
Nataliia Novosolova And Anastasia Kuznietsova contribution research.
