ISLAMABAD: As the battle for Bakhmut continues, Ukraine and Russia have reported heavy losses.
Moscow has been waging an attritional war against the eastern Ukrainian city for months. According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Russian forces have killed over 1,100 people in the last few days with much more seriously injured. Russia claimed to have killed over 220 Ukrainian service members in the last 24 hours. The BBC is unable to verify the figures provided by either party.
According to the analysts, Bakhmut has little strategic value, but it has become a focal point for Russian commanders who have battled to deliver positive news to the Kremlin. Capturing the city would bring Russia one step closer to gaining control of the entire Donetsk region, one of four regions in eastern and southern Ukraine attached by Russia last September following referendums widely regarded as a sham outside Russia. In his nightly video address, Zelensky stated that in less than a week, beginning on March 6, they were able to kill over 1,100 enemy soldiers in the Bakhmut sector alone, resulting in Russia’s irreversible loss, right there, near Bakhmut. He went on to say that 1,500 Russian soldiers had been seriously injured and would be unable to return to combat.
Wagner central to Russia’s assault on Bakhmut
Russian forces killed “more than 220 Ukrainian servicemen,” according to Russia’s defence ministry. The Wagner mercenary group is central to Russia’s assault on Bakhmut. Yevgeny Prigozhin, its leader, has staked his reputation and that of his private army on capturing Bakhmut. He stated on Sunday that the scenario in the city was “difficult, very difficult, the enemy is fighting for every meter”.
He said that after his envisioned seize of Bakhmut, “we will begin to reboot” and “will actively recruit new people from the regions”. However, the Institute for the Study of War, a US think tank, reported on Saturday that Moscow’s attack was stalling. According to the report, Wagner Group fighters are probably becoming increasingly pinned in urban areas… making significant advances difficult.
Before the invasion, there were approximately 70,000 people living in Bakhmut, but only a few thousand remain. The city was once known for its salt and gypsum mines, as well as its massive winery. Ukraine, like Russia, has given Bakhmut political significance, with President Zelensky making the city a symbol of resistance. When he visited Washington in December, he referred to it as “the fortress of our morale” and presented the US Congress with a Bakhmut flag. So far, between 20,000 and 30,000 Russian troops have been killed or injured in and around Bakhmut, according to Western officials.
