The question that specialists answer to “Sky News Arabia” has become, has the way become clear for the Ukrainian defense to turn into a strong counterattack?
Conflicting News
News received from Bakhmut varied on attempts at control and victory between Russia and Ukraine, particularly with Kiev announcing that it had recovered parts of the lands surrounding the city.
For his part, Alexander Artmatov, a Russian military analyst, says that the progress Ukraine has made in Bakhmut recently seems light and not strong, and works to prolong the battle, which is the West’s first objective and from Washington.
Alexander Artmatov added, in statements exclusive to Sky News Arabia, that the situation in Bakhmut seems complicated and that the commander of Wagner’s forces, Yevgeny Prigozhin, is constantly criticizing the Russian Ministry of Defense. Because the ammunition did not reach his fighters in Bakhmut.
The Russian military analyst made several points about the battles of Bakhmut and the counterattack:
The Ukrainian counter-attack will not be formal and will seek to break through the battle front against Russia. Western reports speak of slim chances for Russia to gain full control of Bakhmut. Divisions in military plans around Bakhmut between Wagner and the army delayed the decision.
New western support
Russian forces control about 95% of the area of ​​the city, which suffers from widespread destruction, and amid the bloody battles, Germany announced that it was preparing a new arms package for Ukraine worth 2.7 billion euros, which is the biggest allocated by Berlin since the beginning of the Russian war last year, while Paris announced to provide dozens of armored vehicles and light tanks to the Ukrainian army, as well as training soldiers in their use.
It was also reported that Britain was introducing long-range (cruise) or Storm Shadow missiles with a range of 300 kilometers which could threaten Russian depth, in light of preparations for the Ukrainian counterattack.
Thanks to this Western aid, according to statements from Kyiv, the Ukrainian army and National Guard have created at least 16 new brigades with about 50,000 fighters. The Russian setback in Bakhmut, which followed similar reports of Ukrainian forces advancing south of the city, points to a Kiev-coordinated campaign to encircle Russian forces.
On the other hand, according to Mykola Beliskov, a researcher at the Ukrainian National Institute for Strategic Studies, there are a number of points that center on the heavy fighting in Bakhmut and across the entire eastern front, including:
A new attempt to drain Western Russia in a battle that has become militarily very long and costly for everyone. Attempts to advance the Ukrainians in Bakhmut are reflected in a strong desire to exploit generous Western support. The Battle of Bakhmut puts the Russian military leadership under pressure and a dilemma before the Kremlin and public opinion in Moscow.
Despite the recent Ukrainian attack on the eastern front, according to Mykola Beliskov, this pressure is unlikely to turn into a comprehensive counterattack at present, given the incomplete training missions of the forces and the lack of support western enough to achieve victory. in this battle.
In the past few hours, the founder of Wagner’s forces, Yevgeny Prigozhin, said in a message on Telegram that his men advanced up to 550 meters in some directions on Saturday and controlled a whole area of ​​the city. of Artyomovsk (Bakhmut), which amounted to 216,000 square meters.
Prigozhin added that Ukrainian forces control less than 1.75 square kilometers of the city.
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