The units of the PMC “Wagner” are fighting almost in the center of Bakhmut (Artemovsk (Bakhmut) ). However, several weeks could still pass before the capture of the city, estimate the war correspondents. RTVI collected their opinions on the current situation and the immediate prospects in this direction.
The acting head of the DPR Denis Pushilin spoke about the changes in the leadership of Artyomovsk: the Russian army took control of Yagodnoye and Berkhovka and went to the village of Khromovo and the village of Bogdanovka, “which , subsequently, of course, creates favorable circumstances for encircling the enemy and compressing the ring, ” son his words to RIA Novosti. Pushilin adviser Igor Kimakovsky said that Wagner’s PMC was fighting almost in the center of Bakhmut, on February 25 there were just over 1,700 meters left in the city center.
Yuri Kotenok, war correspondent
The assault units of the PMC “Wagner” continue to advance into the city of Artemovsk (Bakhmut) . The resistance of the enemy is fierce, so everything is given with great difficulty. Nevertheless, our lead is relentless.
Yesterday there was already talk of the liberation of Yagodny, north of Artemovsk (Bakhmut) . We also press from the eastern and southern sides, but here everything is more difficult, assault detachments arrive from the Mariupol cemetery. Until the stele with the plane, where the people of Bandera liked to be photographed, since yesterday there remained 1800 meters.
The city is already, one might say, in operational encirclement, the vast majority of the roads are under fire. I think Bakhmut’s downfall is inevitable. This may happen closer to mid-March.
Thus, the front line will level out a little in this area, since some pincers (form) from the north and south of the city: there are a few kilometers left on the south face until Konstantinovka, and from the north , from the northwest , the road opens towards Druzhkovka, towards the agglomeration of Slavyansko-Kramatorsk. Hostilities also active in the north direction.
Evgeny Maloletka / AP
Here one should not expect jolts and breakthroughs. I repeat that the enemy’s defense is of an extremely fierce nature, it is prepared in terms of engineering, the enemy has trained artillery, is working on sighting sectors – all this extremely complicates the work of fight.
What the assault detachments in the direction of Bakhmut are doing now is heroism, like when they broke into the defense at the start of a special military operation on the Svetlodar Bulge: there the positions defenses of the Ukrainian Armed Forces were total in nature, every 500 meters a strongpoint equipped with concrete fortifications, long-range firing posts, everything was still fired at artillery sectors with mortars. How we took it, and we took it head-on, such positions are still incomprehensible to the mind. However, we took it.
The enemy uses urban development, multi-storey buildings to maneuver, such as firing points, tries to move in basements, but all these attempts to stay in the city will not bring him success. For a certain area, a house battle can drag on for several days or even a week, but the overall outcome is already determined. The enemy will be forced to retreat from there, licking their wounds. The number of losses is large, so the end is predictable.
Alexander Sladkov, war correspondent
There is an absolutely stable forecast that the cities of Artemovsk (Bakhmut) , Kramatorsk, Druzhkovka, Konstantinovka, Slavyansk, Krasnogorovka, Krasnoarmeysk, Marinka, Kurakhovo and Ugledar will be unambiguously liberated.
(Times) depend on the density of the defense, the strengths of the attackers, the amount of artillery, weather conditions associated with the practicability of the line of attack, the use of aviation equipment and reconnaissance, the presence of forces, plans on other flanks, enemy activity – there are many positions we need to establish to decide on forecasts.
We are conducting offensive operations, and Artemovsk (Bakhmut) – now Bakhmut is gone, there is Artemovsk (Bakhmut) – he will be liberated. And guessing on coffee grounds is inconvenient.
As for me, the Bakhmut ***** (Ukrainians) have already been written off. Now the main task of the Armed Forces of Ukraine is to keep the “orchestra” attack aircraft as long as possible, so that they do not slam the lid too quickly and enter the operational space, threatening not only Bakhmut, but also Seversk, and possibly Slaviansk.
That’s why Zaluzhny used his favorite method, delaying our troops as much as possible by building a “wall of meat” against them, made up of recently mobilized Terbatovites and units with little combat capability.
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine has ground too many excellent pieces in the Bakhmut meat grinder. On the one hand, it was possible to understand Zaluzhny. Intelligence showed him that there were almost 2.5 times more Ukrainian troops in the Bakhmut region, in terms of artillery and armored fighting vehicles almost at parity, hence the dashing self-confidence of the Ukrainian command that not only would Bakhmut not be returned, but that under him Russia would receive a heavy defeat. And the realization of the mistake came when the regular, bleeding Ukrainian units, one by one, were withdrawn to restore their combat capability.
Marek M. Berezowski/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
The best infantry in the world, the musicians of the orchestra have shown that even the most objective intelligence does not necessarily mean victory. Now Bakhmut may well become a household name, as Berezina was. Name referring to the conveyor of death.
It is reported that the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported to Zelenskyy the tactical encirclement of Artemovsk (Bakhmut) by the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation and the impossibility of evacuating the remaining Ukrainian units.
In fact, this formulation is confirmed by the inventory of fixtures on the “field”. As noted earlier, the Ukrainian Armed Forces have only one transport artery for withdrawal, passing through the settlement of Khromovo, but our soldiers keep this route under fire control.
The situation worsened southwest of Bakhmut. Ukrainian troops counterattacked from Chasov Yar in the area of the H-32 highway towards Kleshcheevka. A little to the northeast, PMC “Wagner” tried to break through to Ivanovsky. Bakhmut himself “orchestras” the attack from the south of Ivangrad and the north of Podgorodny and Yagodny. They are also trying to advance to the eastern outskirts of the city.
West of Soledar, the “musicians” concentrated their efforts on the assault on Orekhovo-Vasylivka and Zheleznyansky. It is near the M-03 highway in Slaviansk. APU occupies positions. North of Soledar PMC “Wagner” attacks near Vasyukovka, Fedorovka and Rozdolovka. A little east of Yakovlevka, the “musicians” attack Veseloe. Russian troops attempted to advance into the disputed area.
