Bloody fight for Bakhmut: Ukraine does not need more fighters, but more equipment
Created: 12/20/2022, 5:14 p.m
By: Sandra Kathe
In an interview, the Ukrainian general Saluschnyj talks about the further course of the war in winter.
Meanwhile, President Selenskyj visited Bakhmut.
Kyiv/Bakhmut – For weeks, the warring factions in Ukraine have been fighting over the city of Bakhmut, which was home to over 70,000 people before the start of the war.
The city is now one of the main theaters of war in the Donbass and has been repeatedly referred to as the "meat grinder" in reference to the protracted Battle of Verdun in World War I.
It is estimated that hundreds of soldiers are killed around the city every day.
But the goal of the Ukrainian army, to hold the current front lines and, if possible, to liberate other towns and cities, also applies to Bakhmut, as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's visit on Tuesday (December 20) proved again and again.
In an interview with the international weekly
The Economist
, the Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Army, Valeriy Zalushnyi, also emphasized that defending the territory currently controlled by Ukraine is one of the most important strategies.
During a visit to the front in Bakhmut, Ukrainian President Zelenskyy demonstrated how important the city's defense is to the rest of the country.
© Office of the President of Ukraine/AFP
Strategies in the Ukraine war: defend fronts, strengthen air defenses
According to Zalushny, the defense strategy is important because it is "10 to 15 times more difficult" to regain control of an area than not to relinquish it.
The other core strategies of the Ukrainian military also include strengthening Ukraine's air defenses, as Russia is still trying to use targeted attacks to cut off as much of the country as possible from the power supply in winter, possibly with the aim of bolstering the resistance of the population in this way break.
In addition, Zalushny stressed again that the Ukrainian troops had to be prepared for another possible major Russian offensive in February.
In the past few days, political and military leaders in Ukraine have repeatedly warned of another Russian change of course.
Accordingly, the capital Kyiv, which was successfully defended last spring, could again become a target for attacks.
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Ukraine War: Hundreds more tanks and howitzers needed
But Ukraine does not primarily need more soldiers for this, but above all more equipment: in the
Economist
interview, Saluschnyj speaks of the need for 300 tanks, 600 to 700 armored troop vehicles and 500 howitzers.
Only with the appropriate equipment can Ukraine succeed not only in defending the front lines, but also in launching counterattacks and thereby liberating other parts of the country occupied by the Russians.
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During a risky visit to Bakhmut, Ukrainian President Zelenskyy signaled that Ukraine would not give up the fiercely contested city.
He spoke to military officials at the scene and presented awards to military personnel.
Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine Mykhailo Federov commented on Zelenskyy's visit in a message on the Telegram platform and called the head of state the "bravest president of the bravest nation." (ska with AFP)
