1 year ago
57
In the closing weeks of Russia’s massively costly effort to capture Bakhmut, Ukrainian forces found themselves in a bad position. Pressed into a reduced area west of the rail lines, Russian artillery could fire into their shrinking “citadel” from the north, south, and east. Compared with the pace Russian forces had achieved in the previous months of the battle, those final blocks of the city held by Ukrainian forces were reduced to rubble at an accelerated rate, with Wagner Group mercenaries moving in to occupy the smoldering ruins.
Though Russia has never technically occupied the last southwestern edge of the city, Ukrainian forces were effectively forced to give up their positions in Bakhmut by May 22. Holding those few remaining blocks was just too costly under a withering level of fire. No matter how many times Wagner CEO Yevgeny Prigozhin whined about lack of artillery support, Russia seemed to have no issues with expending thousands of shells to wreck the last buildings.
Soon after declaring victory in the nine-month battle, Prigozhin began withdrawing his mercenary force. Videos from May 25 show the Wagner boss welcoming his forces to “rear positions.” Since then, Wagner has reportedly continued to drain away from Bakhmut. Their positions have mostly been filled with regular Russian army forces, since the promised Chechen forces under Ramzan Kadyrov apparently got lost somewhere en route.
But just because Ukrainian forces are no longer in Bakhmut doesn’t mean the city has stopped being a death trap for Russia.
