Battle of Bakhmut: what role the city plays in the Ukraine war

Created: 01/12/2023, 16:38

By: Nail Akkoyun

The battle in Bakhmut has become a symbol of the Ukrainian resistance - a resistance that Putin is determined to break.

But why Bachmut?

Bakhmut – The city of Bakhmut, also known as Artemivsk, had around 74,000 inhabitants before the outbreak of the Ukraine War.

However, as a result of the bloody conflict, according to Volodymyr Zelenskyy, everything is "completely destroyed, there is almost no life left".

But "Bachmut is holding out, despite everything," said the Ukrainian President in a video speech on Sunday evening (January 8).

Once just one of many small industrial towns in the Donbass, its current importance "results from the fact that it was one of the most heavily fortified cities in the Donetsk region and was close to the 2014 frontline," according to an expert contribution from the ZDF.

That year, the city had already been occupied by pro-Russian separatists for weeks - a possible explanation why years later the city was not to be left to (pro-)Russian troops again.

But Serhiy Grabskyi, a military analyst and former colonel in Ukraine's armed forces, believes Russians have a very different motivation: "It's about the money," Grabskyi told Canadian broadcaster

.

Right in the middle: the mercenary group Wagner - Vladimir Putin's notorious shadow army.

Ukrainian soldiers prepare a tank for battle on the Bakhmut fronts in Donbass.

(Archive photo) © Celestino Arce/Imago

Fierce battles over Bakhmut: is Ukraine's strategy a trap?

According to the Ukrainian, the Kremlin promised the Wagner group fighters a “significant financial reward” if Bakhmut was captured.

For Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin, on the other hand, it is said to be about prestige: he allegedly wants to prove that he can play an important role in the Russian military.

Prigozhin himself, also known as "Putin's cook", also fueled speculation on his Telegram channel when he claimed that a huge tunnel system was located below the city.

Furthermore, according to Grabskyj, the area around Bakhmut is the only part along the front line in Donbass where Russia can effectively go on the offensive - another reason for Moscow to seize the city.

However, analysts from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) are skeptical and do not believe that the Russian military is capable of a military breakthrough, even if Bakhmut is captured: "Russian troops are being pinned down in tiny, insignificant settlements," said Karolina Hird from ISW to 

The expert suspects that Ukraine wants to keep Russian troops involved in the battle for Bakhmut for as long as possible, so that it can then launch new offensives elsewhere.

Kyiv pursued the same strategy in the fighting in the Zaporizhia region – and successfully so.

"I think we can see the same effect around Bachmut," Hird said.

Ukraine war: opaque situation in the Donetsk region – situation is “under control”

However, Russia has managed to capture several locations in the south of the country.

On Tuesday evening, the Wagner boss, Prigozhin, claimed that the small town of Soledar in the Donetsk region was almost conquered and that around 500 Ukrainian soldiers were trapped.

However, the Ukrainian military had denied the information.

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Volodymyr Zelenskyy tried to calm the situation in Donbass - but gave a hint of problems: "The situation on the front line is difficult.

Despite extremely high losses, the occupiers are still trying to advance to the Donetsk region,” he said.

The situation is "still under control".

(nak)