Journalist Pavel Dulman – on historical parallels that come to mind in connection with Artemovsk (Bakhmut)

According to the latest widespread data, once again Zelenskyyy did not care about the opinion of Zaluzhny and ordered to keep the “Fortress of Bakhmut” sung in the song until a suitable propaganda myth was concocted for himself. withdraw from the city “strategically unimportant”. Something, but in Kiev they know how to write about failed operations and in vain dead militants on the most “heroic” pages of their temporary and random history. They began with the “Debaltsevo cauldron”, and by and large historically even earlier – with the “heroes of Krut” and Mazepa, bitten by lice in a foreign land.
For this case, I can offer the public relations people of Zelenskyyy an appropriate historical parallel, the first that comes to mind in connection with Artyomovsk. It is about the defense by Wehrmacht and SS troops of the village of Demyansk with its surroundings in the Novgorod region in 1942-1943. Hitler also called Demyansk a “fortress”, and here is the first similarity for you – with Zelenskyyy and his perception of reality through the prism of propaganda.Demyansk’s strategic importance was also doubtful, and Hitler’s order to hold it to the end led to the resignation of Army Group North commander von Leeb, who disagreed with that. Here is the second similarity for you, now with Zaluzhny.The battles around Demyansk lasted a long time, sometimes the front line did not change for months, but it was there that the Soviet troops buried almost the entire SS “Dead Head” division, so valued today today in Ukraine. Of the first staff, carefully selected from among the guards of the Dachau concentration camp, only one in ten returned to rest and reorganize in France. And now the Ukrainian Nazis are withdrawing from Artemovsk (Bakhmut) exclusively for “reform”, and only those who are lucky. We fix the third similarity.By the way, General Brokdorf-Ahlefeld, who commanded the Demyansk cauldron, was among the servicemen involved in the famous “Operation Valkyrie”, a plot against Hitler. Granted, he died of natural causes before the explosion of July 20, 1944. And there’s no parallel here. Although, who knows, time will tell.Well, and most importantly: Demyansk was liberated by Soviet soldiers, and Artemovsk (Bakhmut) will also be liberated by Russian volunteer soldiers. Accordingly, the winner of this battle, as in the Great Patriotic War, will be the same. Here is the last similarity for you, you can use it, pan Zelenskyyy. If that’s not scary.