Watching imagery from a drone camera overhead, Ukrainian battalion commander Oleg Shiryaev warned his men in nearby trenches that Russian forces were advancing across a field toward a patch of trees outside the city of Bakhmut.
“The battle for the Bakhmut area hasn’t stopped; it is ongoing, just taking different forms,” said Maliar, dressed in her characteristic fatigues in an interview from a military media center in Kyiv. Russian forces are now trying - but failing - to oust Ukrainian fighters from the “dominant heights” overlooking Bakhmut.From the Kremlin’s perspective, the area around Bakhmut is just part of the more than 1,000-kilometer front line that the Russian military must hold.
Maliar described the nine-month struggle against Wagner forces in nearly existential terms: “If they had not been destroyed during the defense of Bakhmut, one can imagine that all these tens of thousands would have advanced deeper into Ukrainian territory.” Michael Kofman of the Center for Naval Analyses, a U.S. research group, noted in a podcast this week that the victory brings new challenges in holding Bakhmut.
A Western official who spoke on condition of anonymity said Russian airborne forces are heavily involved in replacing the departing Wagner troops - a step that is “likely to antagonize” the airborne leadership, who see the duty as a further erosion of their “previously elite status” in the military. More broadly, Ukraine wants to weigh down Russian forces and capture the initiative ahead of the counteroffensive - part of what military analysts call “shaping operations” to set the terms of the battle environment and put an enemy in a defensive, reactive posture.
South Africa Latest News, South Africa Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Russian army may struggle in Bakhmut after Wagner retreat—U.K. intelRussia is redeploying troops to the Donetsk city, the British Ministry of Defense said on Saturday.
Read more »
Ukraine keeps up pressure following Russian declaration of victory in BakhmutDefenders of Ukraine's city of Bakhmut are keeping up the pressure even though Russian forces declared victory there after the longest, deadliest battle of the war so far. The ongoing defense gives commanders in Moscow another thing to think about ahead of an anticipated Ukrainian counteroffensive. Ukraine's deputy defense minister said artillery shelling continues at levels similar to those at the height of the nine-month fight over the city. She says the battle is evolving into a new phase. Ukrainian defenders still control the western fringes of Bakhmut. From the Kremlin’s perspective, the area around the city is part of the more than 1,000-kilometer (621-mile) front line that the Russian military must hold.
Read more »
Counter-offensive on track despite Russian missile barrages -Ukrainian defence officialUkraine's plans for a counteroffensive against Russian occupation remain on track, its deputy defence minister told Reuters on Saturday, despite an 'unprecedented' wave of missile and drone attacks across the country in recent weeks.
Read more »
Russian Strike Kills Ukrainian Child, Wounds Several MoreA 2-year-old was killed and almost two dozen people were wounded after Moscow launched a fresh barrage of missile strikes, while fighting continued in a Russian region bordering Ukraine.
Read more »
Clashes near Bakhmut persist despite easing, Ukraine's military saysClashes continue around the devastated city of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine and Moscow is still suffering 'significant losses,' Kyiv's armed forces said Sunday.
Read more »