The battle for Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine has intensified, with Kyiv acknowledging that Russia has made some gains inside the city. Despite this, Ukraine insists that it is inflicting even greater losses on the Russian attackers. Bakhmut, a mining city, has been at the centre of the conflict for several months as Russian forces seek a win since their last one in mid-2022.
Although Ukraine has been on the defensive for nearly five months, it says it is planning a counteroffensive soon. In an overnight report, the General Staff of the Ukrainian armed forces said that ‘enemy forces had a degree of success in their actions aimed at storming the city of Bakhmut,’ but that ‘our defenders are holding the city and are repelling numerous enemy attacks.’ Deputy defence minister Hanna Malyar stated that losses were inevitable, but ‘the enemy’s losses are many times greater.’
According to a report by a think tank of the Institute for the Study of War, Russian troops and Wagner mercenaries have captured territory in the south and southwest of the city over the past two days, while Wagner has occupied a metal plant in the north this week. However, the report did not detail the specific gains made by Russia.
Tense street fighting has been ongoing inside Bakhmut, with Russian forces advancing slowly. Ukraine had appeared set to abandon the city weeks back, but that did not happen, and Ukrainian troops are now hoping to break the attacking force. Despite Russia’s campaign, reports suggest that it is slowing down, with the number of daily Russian attacks on the front line reported by Ukraine’s general staff declining almost by half over the past four weeks.
Serhiy Cherevatyi, a Ukrainian military spokesperson, told national television that ‘Bakhmut remains the epicentre of military activity…It’s still constantly ‘hot’ there.’
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