Ukraine and Russia Battle for Control of Eastern City of Bakhmut
Ukraine and Russia have reported heavy losses as they continue to battle for the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut.[0] Military analysts say both sides have sustained a high rate of casualties as they engage in devastating artillery duels.[1]
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his nightly address on Sunday that in under a week, from March 6, his forces managed to kill “more than 1,100 enemy soldiers” in the Bakhmut sector alone.[2] Russia, on the other hand, said it had killed more than 220 Ukrainian service members in the past 24 hours.[0]
Ukraine's ground forces commander Col. Gen Oleksandr Syrskyi said the Russian mercenary Wagner Group was advancing from several directions, trying to break through the defenses of the Ukrainian troops and advance to the central districts of the city.[0]
Success in Bakhmut would bring the Russians one step nearer to dominating the entirety of Donetsk, one of the four territories in eastern and southern Ukraine that they seized in September.[0] The Washington-based Institute for the Study of War said Sunday that the Russian war ministry was deliberately expending Wagner forces in order to weaken Prigozhin, sabotaging his bid to boost his influence in the Kremlin.[3]
The battle for Bakhmut is a significant event in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, with both countries assigning great symbolic meaning to the city.[4] The Ukrainian government fears that a Russian victory in Bakhmut would open the road to larger cities such as Kramatorsk and Sloviansk.[5]
0. “Zelensky claims 1,100 Russian soldiers killed in Bakhmut” UPI News, 13 Mar. 2023, https://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2023/03/13/Ukraine-Russia-Trade-Claims-Of-Casualties-Inflicted-In-Battle-For-Bakhmut/6651678701576/
1. “Heavy Casualties Reported As Battle For Bakhmut Rages On” Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, 13 Mar. 2023, https://www.rferl.org/a/battle-for-bakhmut-rages-on/32315207.html
2. “More than 1,100 enemy soldiers eliminated in Bakhmut sector since March 6” Ukrinform, 12 Mar. 2023, https://www.ukrinform.net/rubric-ato/3681530-more-than-1100-enemy-soldiers-eliminated-in-bakhmut-sector-since-march-6.html
3. “Russia Suffers Major Losses in Bloody Bakhmut Weekend—Kyiv” Newsweek, 13 Mar. 2023, https://www.newsweek.com/russia-major-losses-bakhmut-battle-ukraine-1787230
4. “Russia-Ukraine live: Situation in Bakhmut ‘very tough’ – Wagner” Al Jazeera English, 13 Mar. 2023, https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2023/3/13/russia-ukraine-live-situation-in-bakhmut-very-tough-wagner
5. “Bakhmut claims more casualties as Kyiv, Moscow fight for symbolic town” The Christian Science Monitor, 10 Mar. 2023, https://www.csmonitor.com/World/Europe/2023/0310/Bakhmut-battle-lays-bare-high-stakes-for-both-sides-in-Ukraine-war
