The Russian paramilitary group claims on Wednesday the capture of the eastern part of Bakhmout, epicenter of bloody fighting for months and whose fall would leave “the way free” for the Russian army to advance in eastern Ukraine, according to the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
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In Kyiv, the Secretary General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, is expected for his third trip to Ukraine since the start of the war, in particular to discuss the extension of the agreement with Russia on the export of Ukrainian cereals.
“The Wagner units have taken the entire eastern part of Bakhmout, all that is east of the Bakhmoutka river” crossing the city, said the boss of the group Evguéni Prigojine.
In its latest report, published on Tuesday, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), an American group of experts, estimated that Kremlin troops had “likely” captured this eastern part, after a “ controlled withdrawal” of Ukrainian forces.
AFP could not confirm these statements from an independent source.
For his part, Mr. Zelensky assured that his troops were determined to hold the city, in an interview with American television CNN broadcast on Wednesday.
“I had a meeting with the chief of staff yesterday and the chief military commanders…and they all said we had to stay strong in Bakhmout,” he said.
“Of course, we have to think about the lives of our servicemen. But we must do all we can while we receive weapons, supplies and our army prepares for the counter-offensive,” he continued.
After Bakhmout, the Russians “could go further. They could go to Kramatorsk, they could go to Sloviansk, the way would be free” for them “to other cities in Ukraine”, warned Mr. Zelensky.
Despite fierce Ukrainian defense, Russia promised it would fight until Bakhmout was captured, deeming the city crucial to its offensive into Ukraine.
Bakhmout “is an important node (of the lines) of defense of Ukrainian soldiers in Donbass”, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said on Tuesday, saying that its capture would allow “new offensive operations in depth”.
Threat of encirclement
The day before, Mr. Zelensky had challenged speculation of a tactical withdrawal and ordered reinforcements to be sent to the virtually destroyed city, despite recent Russian advances and the threat of encirclement.
The battle of Bakhmout is the longest and deadliest since the outbreak of the Russian offensive in February 2022. While the strategic value of this city is disputed, it has gained symbolic and tactical importance, given the heavy losses suffered by both sides.
Moscow has been searching for a victory since its bitter defeats in the fall, and hopes that the fall of the city can open up control of the part of Donbass, an industrial region in eastern Ukraine, which it still escapes.
After recent advances, the Russians seem to control access to the city to the north, south and east, threatening encirclement.
Wagner’s troops led this attack at the cost of very heavy losses, even by Evguéni Prigojine’s own admission.
The latter is in open conflict with the Russian military hierarchy, which he accuses of not delivering enough ammunition to his men. According to him, the Russian lines would crumble if his troops were to retreat from Bakhmout.
Ammunition Delivery Plan
The Ukrainians are determined to resist Bakhmout in order to further wear out the Russian offensive forces, in anticipation of a counter-offensive that they will launch with the heavy weapons and modern armor promised by the West.
Other observers point out that the battle for Bakhmout also has a very high human and military cost for Kyiv.
European Union Defense Ministers will meet on Wednesday in Stockholm in the presence of NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and their Ukrainian counterpart Oleksiï Reznikov on this subject.
The objective of this meeting is to prepare a three-part plan for the delivery of ammunition to Ukraine with a view to its adoption on March 20, during a meeting of the heads of European diplomacy.
The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, demanded Tuesday, before the Parliament of Canada “unwavering military and economic support”. She also demanded that Russia “pay for its crime of aggression”, after proposing in November to establish a special tribunal.