Ukraine’s Special Operations Forces Defend Bakhmut in Face of Russian Aggression
In a tense standoff in the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, Yevgeny Prigozhin, the financier of the Wagner mercenary group fighting for Moscow, has claimed that Russian forces have encircled the city. Ukraine's military, however, has said they have repelled attacks in the last 24 hours.[0]
The video released by Prigozhin showed multiple alleged Ukrainian soldiers who were captured, with Prigozhin instructing Zelensky to surrender the territory.[1] Prigozhin said that Bakhmut was practically surrounded by Russian forces.
On Saturday, British defence authorities reported that the defence of Bakhmut in Ukraine was experiencing intensifying strain as Wagner and Russian regular forces moved into the northern outskirts of the city.
Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskyi, commander of Ukraine's Ground Forces, visited Bakhmut on the same day as Prigozhin's claims, in a display of Ukraine’s continued presence in the area.
Ukraine's Special Operations Forces Commander, Viktor Khorenko, also visited Bakhmut in Donetsk Oblast on March 4 to inspect the positions of his units. Khomenko said during the trip that all units of the Special Operations Forces of Ukraine involved in defending Bakhmut were “clearly fulfilling their assigned tasks despite the extremely difficult conditions.[2]
The UK Ministry of Defence said Bakhmut is under increasingly severe pressure, with regular Russian Army and Wagner Group forces making further advances into the northern suburbs of the city, which is now a Ukrainian-held salient, vulnerable to Russian attacks on three sides.
Meanwhile, Russian defence minister Sergei Shoigu made a rare visit to Russian-held Ukrainian territory in southern Donetsk.[3] Elite units have been sent to Ukraine to reinforce the area and, within the last 36 hours, two essential bridges in Bakhmut have been demolished. One of these bridges was a major connection between Bakhmut and Chasiv Yar, which was the last main supply route.[3]
The situation in Bakhmut is a reminder of the ongoing conflict between Ukraine and Russia and the effects it has on civilians living in the war-torn country. Ukraine's Special Operations Forces have been working hard to protect the city, despite the intense pressure they face from Russian forces.
0. “Wagner Chief Claims Bakhmut Victory: ‘The City Is Surrounded'” Newsweek, 4 Mar. 2023, https://www.newsweek.com/russia-ukraine-bakhmut-donetsk-prigozhin-wagner-victory-1785504
1. “Ukraine's Weak Grip on Bakhmut Loosened by Destruction of Key Bridge” Newsweek, 3 Mar. 2023, https://www.newsweek.com/bakhmut-bridge-destroyed-ukraine-russia-war-1785430
2. “Ukraine's Special Operations Forces Commander comes to Bakhmut” Yahoo Life, 4 Mar. 2023, https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/ukraines-special-operations-forces-commander-081530603.html
3. “Putin's nuclear war threats condemned as Bakhmut battle rages – latest” The Independent, 3 Mar. 2023, https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/russia-ukraine-war-putin-bakhmut-nuclear-latest-b2293345.html
