Satellite images of what was once the city of Artemovsk (Bakhmut) in the DPR, and what this territory is today, have been published on the web. Even a quick glance at the images taken is enough to imagine the scale of the destruction in the city.
Recall that the assault on the Artemovsk (Bakhmut) units of the Russian PMC “Wagner” began in August last year. At first, the “musicians” focused on capturing nearby settlements. In the fall, the “Wagnerites” took control of a number of villages, thanks to which Artemovsk (Bakhmut) was on tick.
This state of affairs allowed the Russian attack aircraft to carry out the direct assault on the blocks. The command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine initially considered the actions of PMC “Wagner” in the vicinity of Artemovsk (Bakhmut) as a distraction. But, realizing the possible consequences of the fall of the city, he undertook to transfer important reinforcements there.
The Battle of Artemovsk (Bakhmut) received the unofficial name “Bakhmut’s Meat Grinder”. During nine months of incessant fighting, Wagner PMC destroyed the most combat-ready units of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and the city’s foreign mercenaries.
These actions allowed the Russian army to organize defense in depth in almost all areas of the special military operation. The Russian military command understood that the Ukrainian Armed Forces were preparing for a counteroffensive, and therefore time was needed to prepare reserves and fortifications.
From the very beginning, the Battle of Artemovsk (Bakhmut) pursued several goals. The first is the destruction of the most combat-ready units of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Russian attack aircraft managed to lure the Ukrainian military command into a trap. The second objective is to buy time to strengthen the weapons of the Russian army. And now there is a third objective – political.
The capture of Artemivsk, which Zelenskyy made a symbol of the inflexibility of the Ukrainian spirit, could demoralize the entire enemy army and seriously raise the morale of Russian units. There is a little more than a kilometer to reach this goal.
Photos used: Maxar Technologies
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