{"id":560339,"date":"2023-03-07T03:41:27","date_gmt":"2023-03-07T00:41:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/whats-at-stake-as-ukraine-clings-onto-bakhmut\/"},"modified":"2023-03-07T03:41:27","modified_gmt":"2023-03-07T00:41:27","slug":"whats-at-stake-as-ukraine-clings-onto-bakhmut","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/whats-at-stake-as-ukraine-clings-onto-bakhmut\/","title":{"rendered":"#What\u2019s at stake as Ukraine clings onto Bakhmut"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a3d8fb44ec3b\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a3d8fb44ec3b\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/whats-at-stake-as-ukraine-clings-onto-bakhmut\/#Whats_at_stake_as_Ukraine_clings_onto_Bakhmut\" >What\u2019s at stake as Ukraine clings onto Bakhmut<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h1><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Whats_at_stake_as_Ukraine_clings_onto_Bakhmut\"><\/span>What\u2019s at stake as Ukraine clings onto Bakhmut<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h1>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/03\/bakhmut_ukraine_AP.jpg?w=900\" \/><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Ukraine\u2019s lines are holding against a Russian onslaught in Bakhmut as both Kyiv and Moscow <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>ear unwilling to give up a town that has become symbolic of the war\u2019s brutality.<\/p>\n<p>After signaling a potential retreat last week, Ukrainian troops have yet to withdraw and are still holding onto their fortified positions in the center of the city.\u00a0<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr1_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p>And Russian forces, while struggling to encircle the city, are putting tremendous pressure on Ukrainian troops through constant, grinding assaults.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Bakhmut has been reduced to rubble and its once-70,000 inhabitants are nearly all gone. But neither side is ready to give up the Battle of Bakhmut, which has taken on a level of symbolic significance for both sides that far outweighs its strategic value.<\/p>\n<p>The head of the Russian mercenary group leading the fighting in Bakhmut complained over the weekend that ammunition was running short, and said retreat from the city would cause a collapse of Russia\u2019s front lines.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.defense.gov\/News\/Transcripts\/Transcript\/Article\/3319862\/secretary-of-defense-lloyd-j-austin-iii-media-availability-with-reporters-durin\/\">told reporters at a press conference in Jordan<\/a> on Monday that \u201cboth sides are really leaning into this in a major way.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think it\u2019s more of a symbolic value than it is a strategic and operational value,\u201d Austin said, adding the caveat that he didn\u2019t want to discredit Ukrainian soldiers who were fighting for their lives.<\/p>\n<p>For Ukraine, holding Bakhmut has become a rallying cry signifying Kyiv\u2019s resistance, while its soldiers inflict heavy casualties on Russian forces. The defense of Bakhmut could also pave the way for a future counteroffensive.\u00a0<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr2_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p>And for Russia, taking Bakhmut would serve as an important sign they are making advances in the war after months of setbacks, even if the town only gives them a minor foothold in the Donetsk region for a push further west.<\/p>\n<p>Amid the intense pressure around Bakhmut, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky held a meeting with his top commanders on Monday, agreeing to maintain defensive positions in the town, according to a <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.president.gov.ua\/en\/news\/volodimir-zelenskij-proviv-zasidannya-stavki-verhovnogo-golo-81461\">readout of the meeting<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>If Ukrainian commanders did decide on a strategic withdrawal, it would likely be conducted at the most opportune and favorable time for its forces, said Hein Goemans, the director of the Peter D. Watson Center for Conflict &amp; Cooperation at the University of Rochester.\u00a0<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr3_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p>He said Ukraine is \u201cextremely wily\u201d and wants to \u201cchew through Russian reserves\u201d surrounding Bakhmut.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s one of those ways to attrite the Russian forces,\u201d Goemans said. \u201cThey would like the Russians to throw as many of their troops as possible. \u2026 But at the moment it\u2019s no longer worth it, they will withdraw without any question.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) assessed <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.understandingwar.org\/backgrounder\/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-march-5-2023\">on Sunday<\/a> that Russian forces have advanced from the north, east and south of Bakhmut, although it does not appear they have fully encircled Ukrainian defenders in the center of the city.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr4_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p>In the event of a Ukrainian withdrawal, it would likely be a gradual retreat, aimed at complicating Russian advances by putting up heavy fortifications, according to ISW.<\/p>\n<p>Michael Kofman, director of the Russia Studies Program at the Center for Naval Analyses, said holding Bakhmut has allowed Ukraine to grind down Russian power, but clinging to the town could be costly.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cStrategies can reach points of diminishing returns,\u201d Kofman wrote Sunday in a <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/KofmanMichael\/status\/1632503457272692736?s=20\">Twitter thread<\/a>, \u201cand given [Ukraine] is trying to husband resources for an offensive, it could impede the success of a more important operation.\u201d<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr5_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p>Ukraine has killed seven Russian soldiers for every one of its own, <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ukrinform.net\/rubric-ato\/3677516-danilov-on-russian-military-losses-near-bakhmut-1-to-7-in-our-favor.html\">according to an estimate<\/a> from Oleksiy Danilov, secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine.<\/p>\n<p>For Russia, those losses of manpower, along with ammunition and equipment, means Moscow will be hard-pressed to continue an offensive operation after taking Bakhmut.<\/p>\n<p>Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of Russia\u2019s private Wagner army, complained over the weekend that ammunition was running low and a representative of his mercenary outfit was denied access to Russia\u2019s military command in Ukraine.\u00a0<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr6_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p>Prigozhin accused the Kremlin of \u201cordinary bureaucracy or a betrayal,\u201d adding that if Wagner were to withdraw, the Russian front in Bakhmut would collapse.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI am knocking on all doors, sounding the alarm with ammunition and reinforcements,\u201d Prigozhin wrote on Telegram.<\/p>\n<p>The United Kingdom\u2019s Ministry of Defense <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/DefenceHQ\/status\/1632632159201533955\">also noted<\/a> Russia has been forced to deploy 60-year-old battle tanks and even older versions of armored vehicle carriers after large vehicular losses on battlefields across eastern Donetsk.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr7_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p>As both sides jockey for leverage, fighting in the region has become especially brutal and reminiscent of World War I, with troops dug into trenches just a few dozen feet or less from each other.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Russian forces are sending in waves of soldiers toward Ukrainian defenses \u2014 often to test where enemy fire is coming from \u2014 then sending in more troops to break new ground.<\/p>\n<p>In his remarks on Monday, Austin said if Ukraine does reposition, he would not view it as an \u201coperational or a strategic setback,\u201d adding he doubted Russia can keep up its pressure campaign for much longer.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat I do see on a daily basis is the Russians continuing to pour in a lot of ill-trained and ill-equipped troops, and those troops are very quickly meeting their demise,\u201d the defense secretary said. \u201cI think we\u2019ll continue to see that with the Russians going forward.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News<\/a> articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/news\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/policy\/international\/3886725-whats-at-stake-as-ukraine-clings-onto-bakhmut\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What\u2019s at stake as Ukraine clings onto Bakhmut Ukraine\u2019s lines are holding against a Russian onslaught in Bakhmut as both Kyiv and Moscow appear unwilling to give up a town that has become symbolic of the war\u2019s brutality. After signaling a potential retreat last week, Ukrainian troops have yet to withdraw and are still holding&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":560340,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thehill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/03\/bakhmut_ukraine_AP.jpg?w=1280","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[70897],"tags":[89053,140801,134418,139529,90482,124783,128582,40445,134904,134345],"class_list":["post-560339","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-aviation","tag-bakhmut","tag-congress-blog","tag-defense-national-security","tag-house","tag-international","tag-lloyd-austin","tag-media","tag-russia-ukraine-war","tag-state-watch"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/560339","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=560339"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/560339\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/560340"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=560339"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=560339"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=560339"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}