Bakhmut of the Donetsk region remains the epicenter of hostilities in the war of the Russian Federation against Ukraine, the invaders have the goal of reaching the administrative borders of the Donetsk region.
About this on the air of the national telethon, which was broadcast on the YouTube channel “Work” said the Deputy Minister of Defense of Ukraine Anna Malyar.
On February 25, the Ukrainian units that hold Bakhmut and the approaches to it were visited by Alexander Syrsky, Commander of the Ground Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
“In Bakhmut, he actually traveled the entire city, was at the headquarters. The task was, firstly, to understand the situation, the circumstances that in this case could interfere with the defense or, conversely, that would improve the defense,” Malyar said. “There, right on the spot certain decisions were made, including the decision to move additional units, and certain decisions that cannot be voiced.”
The Deputy Minister of Defense noted that in the Bakhmut area, the invaders gathered both professional military personnel and numerous units of the Wagner PMC.
“Today… we openly say that the enemy’s offensive is going on there, it has been going on since the beginning of January. “Unfortunately, the enemy’s losses are very high – much higher than ours. Our units destroy … up to 80% of the units of the Wagner PMC,” Maliar emphasized.
According to her, the occupiers do not abandon the goal of occupying the entire territory of Ukraine, but began to act in the regions.
“The offensive is taking place in the east in several directions. And the hottest thing is the Bakhmut one now,” Malyar said.
Intense fighting in the Bakhmut region began in July and has been going on for seven months, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported on February 23, 2023. To capture Bakhmut, the Russian Federation abandoned the most prepared units of regular troops and Wagnerites, most of the occupiers’ artillery is concentrated in this direction, the General Staff said.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky said that “no one will hand over Bakhmut”. He noted that if the Russians take Bakhmut, they will want to “go further.”
Holding the city inflicts catastrophic losses on Russia, Kirill Budanov, head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, said on February 22.
The situation in Bakhmut is “extremely tense,” Syrsky reported on 28 February.
