The situation near Bakhmut in the Donetsk region remains extremely tense. Despite the systemic pressure of the enemy, the Ukrainian defenders are rebuffing the Russian invaders.
Alexander Kovalenko, a military-political observer for the Information Resistance group, told Channel 24 about this. According to him, there is no talk of a systemic counter-offensive of Ukrainian troops near Bakhmut.
It will be possible to say that Ukraine has seized the initiative from Bakhmut only when the Armed Forces of Ukraine go on an active and continuous offensive.
However, now we control the situation in the defense of Bakhmut. And to talk about the need to withdraw troops, at this moment it is inappropriate, – said the military observer.
He explained that the operational situation at the front is changing almost every minute.
APU pushed back the occupiers
Ukrainian defenders do not just control the situation near the city. Moreover, according to Kovalenko, the Ukrainian Defense Forces carried out several counterattacks in the Bakhmut direction, in particular:
- in the area of the highway T 0504 – not far from the settlements of Ivanovskoye and Konstantinovka;
- near the highway T 0506 – on the section Khromovo – Chasov Yar.
“These logistical arteries have been under fire from the Russian invaders for several months now. However, the fact that we were able to push the enemy back from these logistical arteries is extremely important,” the military observer emphasized.
Please note – the enemy is trying to encircle Bakhmut: watch the video
Safety buffer for logistical arteries
According to Kovalenko, successful counterattacks by Ukrainian defenders are important for two reasons.
- Firstly, it reduces the effectiveness of the Russians' use of weapons along these routes. The military observer explained that the highways are still under enemy fire. But since the invaders are now at a greater distance from the roads, then strikes on the tracks will be less effective.
- Secondly, the Armed Forces of Ukraine have created a kind of safety buffer for these routes. In the event of a powerful assault, the occupiers will not be able to quickly overcome a certain distance and quickly cut these routes physically.
The military observer noted that it is extremely important for Ukraine to secure the roads T 0504 and T 0506.
“For us, the most important thing is that there should always be a security buffer near these roads, which allows us to effectively provide our units in Bakhmut ,” Kovalenko said.
Why Russia is transferring the most elite units to Bakhmut
The military-political observer of the Information Resistance group emphasized that the main role that Bakhmut now plays is the depletion of Russian troops . The Defense Forces of Ukraine are coping with this task in the best possible way.
“The Russians are changing their tactics near Bakhmut. They have not placed much emphasis on the use of Wagner PIK units for a long time, especially after Soledar,” Kovalenko said.
But the invaders near Bakhmut began to rely on the elite units of their army, in particular:
- 106 airborne division;
- 217 airborne regiment;
- 57 separate motorized rifle brigade of the ground forces of the Russian army.
As a military observer noted, the point is not that Russia decided to use its professional units. The reason is much more prosaic.
The occupiers are trying to overturn those units that have more or less complete staffing and equipment. They do not have enough equipment to fully carry out assault operations, – Kovalenko explained.
The invaders found themselves in a stalemate in Bakhmut
After successful counterattacks of the APU, the invaders abandoned the powerful pressure on the logistical arteries T0504 and T0506. The enemy concentrated on fighting in urban areas.
“The enemy is concentrating all of its resources in the east of Bakhmut. The invaders are also trying to put pressure from the north and south. From the south, they can't do anything at all. From the north, they put pressure, but the successes are 50 to 50,” Kovalenko said.
He noted that so far the occupiers managed to advance only in the eastern part of Bakhmut – in the private sector. Further, a natural obstacle arose on the way of the Russians – the Bakhmutko River, which is a kind of line of defense for the Ukrainian defenders.
the invaders are in a stalemate. They are destroyed in those locations where they are located. And they cannot move forward, in fact, through our line of defense, today, too, – the military observer emphasized.
Kovalenko added that the enemy does not yet have enough resources to force the Bakhmutko River.
The situation near Bakhmut: briefly
- The situation in Bakhmut remains tense but under control. The Ukrainian military continues to destroy the invaders, who have driven themselves into a kind of trap.
- As military expert Alexander Musienko noted, the defense of Bakhmut played a crucial role in the overall picture of the war. According to him, Bakhmut fulfilled his role from the point of view that many enemies were destroyed there.
- On the evening of March 7, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced the tragic news that the legendary Ukrainian soldier Dmitry Kotsyubaylo died in the battles near Bakhmut. He is better known to Ukrainians as “Da Vinci”. The hero was only 27 years old.
