The battles for Bakhmut are the most brutal in the Ukraine war, with both sides suffering heavy casualties.
Zelenskyj and his general are therefore arguing about the strategy.
Bakhmut - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has apparently clashed with his most important general, Valeriy Zalushnyi.
According to research by
Bild
, it was about the strategy in the village of Bakhmut, where the bloodiest fighting in the Ukraine war is taking place.
Zalushny, the supreme commander of the Ukrainian armed forces, apparently wanted to order the soldiers to withdraw from Bakhmut several weeks ago because they were suffering high losses at the front.
Selenskyj countered and is still convinced that it was right to stick to Bakhmut.
Media reports repeatedly say that the Russian army has to cope with a significantly higher number of casualties in Bakhmut.
However, many Ukrainian soldiers died defending the city.
That is why Saluschnyi is said to have pushed for a possible withdrawal from Bachmut at an early stage.
The Ukrainian government told
Bild
that by sticking with Bakhmut, the Russian army had suffered significant damage, both in terms of personnel and material.
For example, numerous tanks and armored vehicles were destroyed.
That is the reason why a withdrawal of Ukrainian forces would not have been approved.
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Chief of the Ukrainian Army: Valeriy Zalushnyi
© Gleb Garanich
Battles for Bachmut: Soldiers complain in the Ukraine war
Because Bakhmut, according to experts, has no strategic importance from a military point of view, a withdrawal from the destroyed city would not be decisive.
But the deployment of thousands of Wagner mercenaries from Russia also made Bakhmut a political symbol: in December Zelenskyi declared the city a “fortress”.
The Wagner Group under Chief Prigozhin stands for brutal violence in war - not only in Ukraine, but also in armed conflicts on the African continent.
Bild
reporters
report from the front
However, most of them lack understanding of the attitude in Kiev.
One soldier wrote: "If we are completely encircled here, then it will be a disaster." And a Ukrainian military analyst also said: "The questions that the boys in Bakhmut ask themselves: what is the strategy?
Why should we dig in when the enemy is surrounding us?”
Another Ukrainian military adviser said: “In the beginning Bakhmut was a trap for the Russians, now it has become a trap for us.
We kill them at a ratio of 1:7 - that's the only military reason to hold Bakhmut.
But the troops should have been withdrawn three weeks ago when the Russians took Krasnaya Gora.
The decision to keep Bachmut was a good one, but they overdid it.”
Ukraine war: unity gone?
Speculations about a general's presidential candidacy
On the other hand, there is the opinion that if one had withdrawn from Bakhmut, there would have been similar struggles elsewhere.
The aim is not to let the Russians advance and at the same time inflict the heaviest losses on them.
At the same time, speculation is circulating about a possible presidential candidacy for General Saluschnyj - his convincing demeanor seems to be making him more and more popular among the population.
There has not been any official confirmation of these rumors from his side.
A Year of Ukraine War: The Origins of the Conflict with Russia
A Year of Ukraine War: The Origins of the Conflict with Russia
Nevertheless, Selenskyj and those around him are said to see him as a possible competitor.
However, Ukrainian military sources say that the supreme commander of the armed forces is only working towards victory against Russian troops and is trying to protect his soldiers as much as possible.
Only this led to the discussion with Zelenskyj about Bakhmut.
At the beginning of the war, the political and military leaders demonstrated a great unity, the roles were clearly divided.
Ukraine War: Bachmut almost completely destroyed
Around 5,000 civilians still live in Bakhmut out of a population of around 70,000 originally - the battle for the city in the Donetsk region has been raging for around six months.
The city is almost completely destroyed, there are hardly any supply routes left.
The situation keeps getting worse.
(ale)