Yevgeny Prigozhin, founder of Russia's Wagner mercenary force, speaks in Paraskoviivka © Thomson Reuters
Reuters: Russian mercenary chief says Ukraine's Bakhmut is practically surrounded
(Reuters) -Yevgeny Prigozhin, founder of Russia's Wagner mercenary force, said in a video published on Friday that the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut was "practically surrounded" by his forces and that Kyiv's forces had only one road left out.
Prigozhin's men have spearheaded the assault in eastern Ukraine for months.
Moscow regards Bakhmut, which it calls by its Soviet-era name of Artyomovsk, as a useful stepping stone to seize bigger cities like Kramatorsk and Sloviansk.
Prigozhin, wearing a military uniform in the video, called on Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelenskiy to withdraw his forces from the small city.
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WNU Editor: The military experts are trust tell me that Russia has now attained fire-control over all roads leading in and out of Bakhmut. I do not know how many Ukrainian soldiers are left in Bakhmut, but it looks like they are going to experience the same fate that Ukrainian soldiers faced in Mariupol. A siege that will go on for the next month or two before there is a mass surrender.
Russia's Wagner Leader Says Ukraine's Bakhmut Is Practically Surrounded
Ukraine updates: Russia's forces surround Bakhmut -- DW
Wagner Boss Trots Out Terrified Ukrainians to Deliver Grim Message -- Daily Beast
Ukraine's Bakhmut 'Practically Surrounded,' Wagner Leader Prigozhin Says -- Moscow Times
Ukraine war: Bakhmut 'practically surrounded', claims Russian paramilitary Wagner group -- Euronews
Wagner chief calls on Zelenskiy to abandon ‘encircled’ Bakhmut -- The Guardian
Russians pound access routes to Ukraine's besieged Bakhmut -- Reuters
The roads are now being controlled with anti-tank rocket fire, meaning there are no longer any roads that Wagner is more than 1-2 miles from. Better off to retreat over the open fields on foot or, god forbid, send more troops into the city.
ReplyDeleteWhile Bakhmut may fall, there may not be any soldiers in the city when it does, or if so only relatively few. There will not likely be any mass surrender.
ReplyDeleteThe soldiers in Mariupol stayed because by denying the Russians the city, they were buying critical time for the Ukrainian army elsewhere to mobilize and stabilize the frontlines. It was deliberate choice to buy time. They succeeded in that. Nobody likes those situations, but sometimes they are necessary. Sometimes like Bastogne during the Battle of the Bulge, the defenders can be rescued in time. More often like at the Alamo they cannot. But holding the Alamo allowed Sam Houston to rally the Texans and win the Battle of Jacinto.
But today there is no reason for Ukraine to abandon troops in Bakhmut. They have plenty of defensive lines, and sacrificing any troops does not make sense. They'd do much better escaping.
My understanding that when talking about the thousands of Ukrainian troops at Bakhmut, they are really talking about the entire Bakhmut area, not just the city. There's a lot fewer troops in the city itself. The reinforcements sent to the area did not go into the city itself, but trying to defend the flanks leading into it. If the Ukrainians truly cannot supply the city or hold the lines, then they'll be pulling out the troops.
It's too bad that the Russians managed a breakthrough just as the weather warmed up and rain started pouring. If the northern front had stayed in contact just a day or two more, the mud would have stabilized the front lines and Bakhmut could likely have held out until the ground hardened. Most likely it will be lost now. But I don't think there is going to be any mass surrender although some soldiers could be captured.
Chris
There may be few troops in Bakhmut. the recent video of a lone Ukrainian holding of f a platoon and APC under artillery fire may indicate he held a trench, while others retreated n good order. If this assessment is correct then the Russians although they won that trench gave a poor record of themselves.
ReplyDeleteYou must be happy to hear that?
ReplyDeleteHard for you to imagine any perspective aside from pro-Ukrainian or pro-Russian, huh?
ReplyDeleteThat the Russians gave poor account of themselves. Yes, i am happy to hear that.
ReplyDeleteThere is not much to retreat. Yes thank you for saying that and confirming it Chris.
ReplyDeleteThere is not many troops to retreat because the majority are dead. That is the ugly truth of it
repeat
ReplyDeleteThis is not like anything in Iraq. There it was mostly one sided. There were no 3 hour arty barrages against US forces.
Russian tactics are working just fine right now. The ukies have decided to defend and the Russians have decided to oblige them by fixing thier forces and attrition them by indirect fire.
Having Wagner go in and try to launch an offensive HELPED bring more Ukrainian forces into the meat grinder. This re-enforced the Russian indirect fire attrition strategy. That is, it put more Ukrainians in the kill zone.
But there is always room for improvement.
Russians need to relearn the lessons of ST Lo and operation Cobra
The resistance in front of you needs the Panzer Lehr Divison treatment.
Currently the Russians are half stepping
in their application of firepower.
You already lied about Cobra once bitch. Coming around for a 2nd try?
ReplyDelete7:19
ReplyDeleteNo I did not Lie.
Your comment. Skoda, as always, was so broke that it had no logic to it, you demented SOB.
Go back to that post, dim whit, and see what I wrote. You are truly f'd up beyond all recognition