Russian troops are continuing their advance through eastern Ukraine despite a lack of ammunition hindering their progress, according to Western military analysts. The city of Bakhmut is currently surrounded on three sides and has been subject to months of bombardment. Ukrainian forces are under intense pressure, facing a mix of ex-convict Wagner fighters and newly mobilized military reservists. The British Ministry of Defense revealed on Sunday that in late February, Russian reservist soldiers were ordered to attack a Ukrainian position with “firearms and shovels”. Yevgeny Prigozhin, leader of the Wagner private military group, has renewed his criticism of Moscow’s military leaders over supply issues, warning that Russia’s positions in the area could be in jeopardy if they were not resolved. Drone footage released by the Ukrainian military on Monday showed entire neighborhoods reduced to rubble and dust.
Bakhmut has become a symbol of Ukrainian resistance to Russia’s invasion, and “Bakhmut holds” is a rallying cry heard across the country and in President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s nightly video address to the nation. However, Ukrainian positions in the east have been worn down by an intensified Russian assault over the winter.
The renewed Russian offensive this year has left the remaining civilians in eastern Ukraine fearing for their lives in shelters. The Institute for the Study of War, a think tank in Washington, said on Sunday that Ukrainian forces had likely made a partial retreat from Bakhmut but said it was too early to say whether this would lead to a full withdrawal.
Zelenskyy met with his top military leaders on Monday to discuss the situation. “They spoke in favor of continuing the defense operation and further strengthening our positions in Bakhmut,” a statement from the president’s office said.
Meanwhile, tensions are rising between Yevgeny Prigozhin, leader of the Wagner private military group, and the Kremlin’s military brass. Both sides have faced challenges in supplying front-line troops across Ukraine’s vast countryside with ammunition and equipment, and both appear to be turning to their closest allies for help.
The renewed Russian offensive has threatened to undermine what could be the Kremlin’s first major victory in months. Despite this, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin played down the importance of a possible Russian victory in Bakhmut, saying, “I think it is more of a symbolic value than it is strategic and operational value.”
Despite the intense fighting and destruction, the city of Bakhmut has become a symbol of Ukrainian resistance to Russia’s invasion. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has referred to “Bakhmut holds” as a rallying cry in his nightly video address to the nation.
However, Ukrainian positions in the east have been worn down by an intensified Russian assault over the winter that has seen a mix of ex-convict Wagner fighters and newly mobilized military reservists thrown into waves of attacks.
According to the British Ministry of Defense, Russian reservist soldiers were ordered to attack a Ukrainian position with “firearms and shovels” in late February. The use of shovels as weapons highlights the brutal and low-tech fighting that has characterized much of the war.
The Institute for the Study of War, a think tank in Washington, said Sunday that Ukrainian forces had likely made a partial retreat from Bakhmut but said it was too early to say whether this would lead to a full withdrawal. Meanwhile, the head of the Wagner mercenary force leading the campaign, Yevgeny Prigozhin, renewed his criticism of Moscow’s military leaders over supply issues and warned that Russia’s positions in the area could be in jeopardy if they weren’t resolved.
The renewed Russian offensive this year has left the remaining civilians in eastern Ukraine fearing for their lives in shelters. Still, Moscow’s forces are far from establishing full control over Luhansk and Donetsk, the two eastern regions that comprise the vast Donbas industrial heartland.
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin played down the importance of a possible Russian victory in Bakhmut, calling it “more of a symbolic value than it is strategic and operational value.” Even if Russia was able to take Bakhmut and use it as a base to threaten surrounding towns and cities, personnel and equipment problems would likely set the scene for a renewed Ukrainian counteroffensive, the ISW said.
Bakhmut, previously a mining community of around 80,000, now has only a few thousand civilians remaining in it and its surrounding towns, mostly elderly and those unwilling or unable to leave. Drone footage released Monday by the Ukrainian military showed entire neighborhoods reduced to rubble and dust.
