In Ukraine, they declare the continuation of the battle for Bakhmut, a fortress city, “near the walls of which more than a thousand enemies have died.” This was stated by the Commander of the Ground Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Colonel-General Alexander Syrsky, the Military Media Center reported on February 6.
Syrsky noted that “the Bakhmut region and the city itself were preparing for defense in advance”.
“This area has certain relief features. The city is surrounded by towering heights and hills, which in themselves hinder the enemy,” he stressed.
According to the general, a well-thought-out system of technical barriers, combined with a natural landscape, turned this area into a real impregnable fortress, near the walls of which more than a thousand enemies died.
“The battle continues,” Alexander Syrsky concluded in his statement, quoted by the Military Media Center.
“The positions of the Defense Forces in the direction of Bakhmut and their supply of the necessary arms and ammunition” received “particular attention” during a meeting of the headquarters of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, the service of press of the President of Ukraine announced on February 6.
“Information was also heard by the intelligence services about possible actions of the enemy in the near future,” notes the Ukrainian president’s website.
It is also reported that the leadership of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and commanders of operational areas reported on the current situation at the front.
About Bakhmut and the situation at the front
On the air of the Espreso television channel on February 6, Roman Konon, lieutenant of the Svoboda battalion of the National Guard of Ukraine, noted that the situation in the direction of Bakhmut is extremely difficult.
“The enemy is advancing with unprecedented force. The enemy is trying to move from the south to the Konstantinovka-Bakhmut highway, from the north to the Slavyansk-Bakhmut highway. The enemy uses different types of weapons. Despite the enemy’s slight success in advancing, the roads are under Ukrainian control. They are dangerous, but under the control of the Armed Forces of Ukraine,” Konon stressed.
The ArmiyaInform portal cites the words of the head of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry, Oleksiy Reznikov, that “our defense forces are holding up” – “there is no need to succumb to various stories of panic.”
“Today, the Border Guards, National Guard and Defense Forces are holding their ground. Let’s believe in them. Russians are expected to attack, they like symbolism. We are ready, the Armed Forces of Ukraine are ready, the headquarters of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief is in command, everyone is ready to fight back, we are strengthening our forces. We are preparing with partners in the supply of weapons,” Reznikov said on February 5 at a press conference.
On the Meduza podcast, Dmitry Kuznets, war expert and editor of the Razbor column, noted on February 6 that the situation of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Bakhmut region continues to deteriorate.
“The city was actually bypassed from the north, and the fighting continues in the north, there are two routes – to Seversk and to Sloviansk, and both routes, as far as I know, the Ukrainian armed forces can no longer use,” Kuznets pointed out.
He said “things are moving towards the fact that Bakhmut will be cut off from the north from the rest of Ukrainian territory”, and stressed that this is not the only place where the Russian army is advancing.
According to the head of the Luhansk regional military administration, Sergei Gaidai, the Russians are gathering reserves for the Lugansk region.
“The enemy offensive can start any time after February 15,” he said in a telegraph station on February 6.
Kremennaya and Lyman
The British edition of the Financial Times, quoting an unnamed adviser to the Ukrainian armed forces, reported that Ukraine had received “very reliable intelligence data” on Russia’s intention to launch a new offensive within ten days. According to the source, the occupiers can strike in the areas of the cities of Kremennaya and Liman, where they have been concentrating large forces for several weeks, the Ukrainian service of Radio Liberty quotes the publication.
The purpose of the strike, according to a source of British journalists, is the occupation of the entire territory of the Donetsk and Lugansk regions. The attack will most likely be carried out by elite units.
“These are real mechanized brigades, even if they are less ready for combat than at the beginning of the war. They reinforced airborne and naval units,” a source told the Financial Times.
The article notes that Putin wants to launch an offensive before the Ukrainian armed forces receive the tanks and other weapons promised by the West.
Symbolism of “victory”
Vadym Khomakha, project manager of the Digests & Analytics Ukraine Analytical Center, believes that the situation in the Donbass is explained by Russia’s desire to show at least some kind of “victory” on the battlefield.
“Now Russian troops are carrying out reconnaissance in force, trying to figure out which of the directions is promising. There are just under three weeks left before the anniversary of the invasion, when Putin will be able to address the Federal Assembly. Therefore, at this stage, the Russian army must do something that it can call a victory – the capture of Bakhmut, or try to regain control of other areas, for example, the settlement of Liman, which is a major railway junction,” Khomakha told the Russian service correspondent “Voices of America.”
At the same time, he noted that today it is impossible to determine the course of the war in the Donbass. There are too many factors influencing the development of events on the battlefield, the expert points out.
“Today Russia has a large group of troops in Donbass, which are ready for an offensive. No one knows how the Kremlin will behave in this situation, but up to 200,000 military personnel are concentrated in Donbass, which have combat skills. This is somewhat less than during the invasion. Moreover, evaluating the information from available sources, Russia has recovered several thousand pieces of equipment from storage bases – old, but they have managed to restore it,” explains Vadim Khomakha.
He also notes that in terms of data on military operations in the Donbass, one should not forget that Russia has formed another group of troops on the territory of the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions.
“For now, we can expect the supply of American and European weapons to influence the course of events. We need a lot of weapons to keep the front line. Will there be a Ukrainian counter-offensive? Hard to say. The command is preparing something, obviously, for that to happen, many factors have to coincide,” says Khomakha.
On the Principles and Purposes of War
Political observer Alexander Kochetkov, noting the duration of the war, the course of hostilities in the Donbass, emphasizes the “principle” of party positions.
“Russia, based on the fact that it did not achieve its goals, today left one thing – the liberation of the territory of Donbass within the administrative borders of Ukraine. Then the Kremlin will be able to tell its electorate that we promised to protect Donbass – and now we have defended it, the goals of the war – “NOR” has been achieved, Ukraine has been so destroyed and exhausted that ‘she won’t dare to attack us,’ says Alexander Kochetkov.
Ukraine, he said, is holding back the aggressor’s assault in anticipation of Western weapons, appropriate reserves of trained military personnel.
“The press has repeatedly reported that the Ukrainian army is trained in the United States and in the European Union, we will receive trained and well-equipped reinforcements. The meaning of what is happening in the Donbass is the basic deterrence of the aggressor so that he cannot carry out his tasks. We are gaining time for the rearmament of the army, the supply of heavy weapons, ”notes Alexander Kochetkov.
