President Volodymyr Zelenskyy , at a meeting of the headquarters of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, ordered to strengthen the defense of Bakhmut and help the Ukrainian army, which had fallen into a tactical encirclement.
“Today I directly asked Commander Syrsky and Commander-in-Chief Zaluzhny what they planned as the next defense operation in the direction of Bakhmut. Is it worth retreating, or is it necessary to strengthen the defence. Both generals replied “don’t back down and strengthen,” Zelenskyy said.
According to him, the Ukrainian command took the decision to defend the city unanimously. Zelenskyy instructed Commander-in-Chief Valery Zaluzhny to find suitable reserves that will help the Ukrainian army maintain the defense of Bakhmut.
It should be noted, according to the Telegram channel “Resident”, that the armed forces of Ukraine lose equipment during the withdrawal from Bakhmut, all roads are targeted, Russian artillery is constantly working. Syrsky brought the situation to the operational encirclement of the city and now the General Staff is forced to launch elite units to unblock the roads. Also, sources report that Zelenskyy demanded that Zaluzhny publicly support the operation in Bakhmut, and now Bankovaya is preparing a native format for the commander-in-chief. The president’s office wants to avoid a wave of negative information and shift the center of decision-making from politicians to the military.
