The Armed Forces of Ukraine continue to courageously defend Bakhmut. Volodymyr Zelensky on the evening of March 6 said that Ukraine would strengthen our troops in the city.
The ISW said why the fight for this city in the Donetsk region has become strategically important. After all, they wrote earlier that Bakhmut is inherently not significant in operational or strategic terms.
Why is it important to protect Bakhmut
But Ukraine's struggle for Bakhmut has acquired strategic importance because of the current composition of Russian forces stationed in the area, analysts say.
According to the American Institute for the Study of War:
- in Bakhmut, the enemy brought in elite elements of the Wagner Air Force and Russian airborne units, as well as troops of lower quality;
- the Russians have recently changed tactics and brought into the fight better spetsnaz operators and elements of conventional forces;
- the Wagnerites continue to use convicts to support operations in Bakhmut, albeit to a much lesser extent than in previous months;
- The Wagner PPK has now also thrown its best soldiers into the fight, and it is they who are being depleted along with the conscripts.
The capture of Bakhmut is necessary, and not sufficient, for further Russian advance in the Donetsk region, and Russian forces have already suffered such heavy losses in the battles for the city that their attack is likely to culminate after they capture it – if not before, – we are convinced ISW analysts.
They added that the loss of Bakhmut for Ukraine “is not of great operational or strategic concern.”
The ISW said that the battle for Bakhmut could seriously degrade the best Wagner forces, depriving Russia of some of its most effective and hard-to-replace shock troops.
Moreover, analysts do not rule out that the Wagnerites could culminate before taking the city, once again forcing the Russian army to choose between abandoning the effort or throwing more high-quality troops into the fray.
Bakhmut's situation: Essentials
- On March 6, at a meeting of the Headquarters of the Commander-in-Chief, the situation around Bakhmut was discussed. The President of Ukraine noted that he heard a special report on the situation in the city and around it.
- Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted that Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valery Zaluzhny and Commander of the Ground Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrsky said that there was no need to withdraw, but to strengthen: “This position was unanimously supported by the Headquarters, there were no other positions”
- On the evening of March 6, our border guards showed the city and assured that Bakhmut was standing, and the enemy was suffering colossal losses.
