Testimony has emerged that the average life expectancy of soldiers on the frontlines of Bahmut, where fierce fighting is taking place due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, is only four hours.
On the 23rd (local time), the New York Post reported on the contents of an interview conducted by former US Marine Troy Oppenbacker with ABC. Offenbecker is currently fighting in Donbass, Ukraine as part of the International Corps, a foreign volunteer army unit.
“The battle at Bahmut is called ‘the meat grinder’ among soldiers,” Offenbecker said. “The average life expectancy of a front-line soldier is about four hours.”
The Russian army is bombarding the strategically important Bahmut day and night while encircling it. Ukrainian forces are resisting this. Contrary to Russia’s optimism that it will be able to capture Bahmut, analysts say that considering the amount of shells the Russian army has used so far, it may have started to run out of weapons.
Offenbecker said civilians still live in Bahmut. Oppenbecker lamented, “I am poor and have no place to leave even if I want to leave.”
Meanwhile, the Associated Press and CNN explained that fierce fighting continues in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine. In Belgorod, Russia, which borders Ukraine, a fighter jet belonging to the Russian military crashed, killing the pilot.
In addition, according to The Guardian, Ukraine announced that it had repelled 90 Russian attacks in the east and northeast over the past 24 hours. Ukrainian forces say Russia has fired about 5,000 missiles into Ukraine and carried out nearly 3,500 airstrikes.
