Despite creating mass chaos and a tremendous loss of life, Russia claimed on Sunday that its forces had made significant gains in Bakhmut, just as Ukrainian officials insisted that Kyiv forces were holding the line. Recent videos prove that to be the case.
According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, Russian troops successfully took control of two blocks within the city’s western district, a feat achieved with the help of Russian airborne units.
Ukraine and the Battle for Bakhmut
Bakhmut, now almost completely leveled to the ground, has seen some of the worst fighting since the outbreak of the war.
Warfare in the city frequently sees each side making incremental gains, sometimes as small as just one or two blocks.
And, while Ukrainian forces continue to hold in the city, Russia still appears to hold an advantage.
According to the Institute for the Study of War, Russian forces controlled almost 88% of the city’s urban area as of April 19. Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin has also claimed to control roughly 80% of the city.
Ukrainian forces, however, still control two roads into the city – one in the north that passes through the village of Khromove, and another that passes through Ivanivske.
While much of the city is already destroyed, both sides frequently resort to using massive artillery and missile strikes to cause as much damage as possible.
In one video shared earlier this month, a huge explosion can be seen in the middle of a formerly developed part of the city.
The explosion caused rubble, dust, and smoke to rise hundreds of feet into the air, amid a backdrop of destroyed residential buildings.
Bakhmut, incredible cloud pic.twitter.com/foWlHL6W6u
— Ukraine War (@Ukraine_WarNews) April 14, 2023
No Victory Yet
Despite Russia’s claims, Bakhmut remains contested and Ukrainian forces are still not preparing to leave.
A series of photographs published by Radio Free Europe shows Ukrainian service members continued to battle Russian invaders in Bakhmut over the weekend, despite being outgunned by Russian troops.
Russia’s resilience in Bakhmut is partially down to the fact that Wagner private troops have provided much of the manpower in the region and are widely thought to be considered expendable by the Kremlin.
However, Ukrainian intelligence also suggests that Russian forces may be switching to defensive positions everywhere in Ukraine, except Bakhmut – a move that could theoretically allow the Kremlin to allocate more resources to taking control of the city.
Speaking to RBC Ukraine, Ukraine’s head of intelligence, Kyrylo Budanov, suggested that a victory in Bakhmut could provide President Vladimir Putin with a “victory” he can present to the citizens of Russia. After describing how Russian forces have “completely switched to positional defense everywhere” except Bakhmut, Budanov said that the Kremlin is deliberately trying to deceive Russians into believing they are winning.
“And against the backdrop of the lack of success elsewhere, they face the problem that even their ‘deceived’ society needs to see something, some kind of victory. This is the only place where they succeed at least. In addition, there is the fact that Prigozhin once said that he would take Bakhmut. He would be happy to sing about it, but he can’t. That is, everything just came together here,” Budanov said.
Jack Buckby is 19FortyFive’s Breaking News Editor. He is a British author, counter-extremism researcher, and journalist based in New York. Reporting on the U.K., Europe, and the U.S., he works to analyze and understand left-wing and right-wing radicalization, and reports on Western governments’ approaches to the pressing issues of today. His books and research papers explore these themes and propose pragmatic solutions to our increasingly polarized society.