Bahmut, the World War I-style meat grinder battlefield reappears!
Bakhmut, a city in eastern Ukraine, has become the focus of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict. More than five months ago, after the Russian army captured Severodonetsk and Lischichansk, it deployed heavy troops to capture this important town. Five months later, it is still one of the focal points of the war between the two sides. Both sides have invested a lot of resources to fight for every inch of land here. The media exclaimed that this place has become a World War I-style meat grinder battlefield.
“Ukrainian troops near Bahmut fought in the trenches of ‘World War I’”, Russian Glavny TV station reported that Bahmut, known as Artemovsk in Russia, Ukrainian militants in frontline trenches near here complain about the poor conditions of their positions - they have to fight in knee-deep muddy water.
Related photos are being circulated on major social platforms, showing the regrettable condition of soldiers of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, where they are trapped in mud and trenches due to worsening weather It is also reminiscent of the trenches of World War I.
The report also stated that the Russian army continues to conduct special operations in this area. One well-known result is that in the direction of Artemovsk, the Russian armed forces eliminated the famous Ukrainian activist Dmitry Sidorko, better known by his pseudonym "Sunset".
How tragic was Bachmut’s battle? The New York Times of the United States also reported in detail on the 27th.
“In the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, for nearly an hour, the Ukrainian casualties seemed endless: ambulances, armored personnel carriers and private vehicles roared to a stop one after another and Evacuating the wounded in front of the city’s only military hospital”. The New York Times said that a soldier, with a bloody face, walked into the hospital door with the support of his comrades. The dark green stretcher waiting for him was one of several still stained with blood.
The report said that by around noon on the 25th, doctors counted 50 wounded, many of whom were soldiers. The situation the previous day was even worse: 240 people were sent to the hospital with gunshot wounds and shrapnel. Injuries and concussions.
A Ukrainian soldier said his troops were retreating when he was blown away by a mortar. At the same time, another Ukrainian force elsewhere in Bakhmut was attacking a Russian position.
A soldier from the 71st Brigade of the Ukrainian Army said that while he was advancing towards the trenches of the Russian army, his legs were injured by a grenade. The grenade was either thrown by a drone. Or it was fired by a Russian grenade launcher.
“Ukrainian soldiers who had just come out of the front line huddled in front of the hospital, their faces, uniforms and weapons were covered with mud spots, and their pants were soaked by the rain,” the New York Times said, Cold temperatures and muddy trenches also led to injuries on both sides. Doctors at Bakhmut Hospital said hypothermia and trench foot are common skin diseases among the Ukrainian military, which are caused by long-term immersion in cold water.
Ukraine has taken some initiative on the battlefield in recent months, retaking the Kharkiv region and the southern city of Kherson. But Bakhmut, located in the Donbass region of Ukraine, is still a huge meat grinder devouring the lives of soldiers from both countries. For months, both sides have poured troops and supplies into the area as the Russians desperately tried to capture the city and the Ukrainians tried to hold it. The result was almost catastrophic. The city, which once had a population of about 70,000, has now been slowly reduced to ruins.
From a Western perspective, the Russian army's "strong attempt to seize the city" is confusing - elsewhere on the 600-mile front line, Russian soldiers are mostly digging winter trenches to consolidate their positions and Protect resources.
This summer, after the Russian army captured neighboring Luhansk, capturing Bakhmut seemed to be a natural move for Russia to take over the Donbas region. As long as the city is captured, it will move towards A step was taken to remove the two more important cities of Donetsk - Slavyansk and Kramatorsk. But that goal now seems unlikely to be achieved, given the series of setbacks the Russian military has experienced in previous months, especially after losing its foothold in the Kharkiv region.
The fact is that Bakhmut has quickly become Moscow’s main direction of action recently. Ukrainian soldiers said recently mobilized Russian troops were sent here in an attempt to encircle the city from the east and south.
The New York Times says recent battlefield advances around Bahmut have been measured in yards, not miles. Every day Russian and Ukrainian troops advance or retreat, often achieving minimal gains at a bloody cost.
Both sides consume not only manpower, but also materials.
"In my six months in Bakhmut, I have never seen our artillery work like this," a Ukrainian soldier on the front line said, referring to the Ukrainian-fired artillery shells quantity.
U.S. Defense Department officials said that a problem that the Pentagon often worries about is that the Ukrainians are firing ammunition at an unsustainable rate, especially in places such as Bahmut, and they mistakenly believe that Western countries’ ordnance supplies are unlimited. of.
Since July, the war in Bahmut has evolved into a war of attrition, and its strategic significance has also changed.
The New York Times analyzed that even if Russia's hopes of occupying more territory here have faded, it may still make it a resource black hole for Kiev, leaving Ukraine to divert from other priorities-possibly including future offensives. Allocate troops and war resources.
This may be what the West is worried about. But in fact, who can outlast whom? The situation is not clear now, and both sides can only hold on.
Extended reading:
Media: Winter is officially coming and five key issues in the Russia-Ukraine conflict have emerged
On November 27, the weather in Kiev, the capital of Ukraine, was "Snow, temperature 0-1 degrees Celsius"
Winter is really coming.
In the current conflict between Russia and Ukraine, Western weapons have helped Ukraine achieve partial victory in its counterattack on the eastern and southern fronts, but Russia still controls about 20% of Ukraine's territory. At the same time, Russian air strikes destroying energy and power systems across Ukraine continue.
As the Russian-Ukrainian military conflict enters winter, five key questions have emerged:
First, how will winter affect the progress of the battle?
As the conflict enters its 10th month, fighting is expected to decrease overall as weather and outdoor conditions worsen.
U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense Colin Kahl said last week that "bad weather in Ukraine" has begun to slow down the fighting, and the muddy weather has made it difficult for both warring parties to launch a large-scale offensive.
He told reporters: "I think in the coming weeks, this challenge will become more severe, and we will have to see whether the fight will slow down as a result."
The Pentagon It said that in response to the severe winter, the United States has provided cold-resistant equipment to the Ukrainian army, including tens of thousands of parkas, woolen hats, boots and gloves, in addition to generators and tents.
Second, will cold become a "weapon"?
The US "Capitol Hill" believes that the Russian military is "weaponizing" the cold. Last week, Russia launched air strikes on infrastructure in major Ukrainian cities such as Kiev and Lviv. The head of the Ukrainian Electric Power Company said on the 26th that currently no thermal power plant or hydropower station in Ukraine is intact.
According to Al Jazeera’s report on the 27th, Kiev Mayor Klitschko said on the Telegram channel that 90% of residential buildings in the Ukrainian capital had restored heating that day, and water supply had been restored to every household. Still, a quarter of the city's residents are without power. The weather forecast said that Kiev will usher in heavy snow on the evening of the 27th, the temperature will drop below zero, and the snowfall will continue until the middle of this week.
Kiev residents line up in the snow to receive food.
Kluge, the World Health Organization's European regional director, said Ukraine's medical system is expected to suffer a heavy blow during the winter, with 2 million to 3 million likely to be affected in the coming months as the weather gets colder. People are displaced.
There is also a widespread belief that when NATO countries are forced to burn firewood for warmth, they will begin to waver in NATO support for the Ukrainians. Cold may not be a weapon, but energy is.
Third, can Russia make progress on the eastern front?
The British Ministry of Defense tweeted on the 27th that in the past two weeks, fierce fighting has occurred in two towns in eastern Donetsk Province, Ukraine. Both Russia and Ukraine have invested heavy troops. "Fierce fighting may continue to break out in this area in the future, partly because Russia believes that this area may become the starting point for a future offensive to the north and seize the remaining areas of Donetsk controlled by Ukraine."
Reports show that the struggle in the Donetsk region has escalated in the past week. Western observers say this is because the Russian army will inevitably send more troops to the east after withdrawing from the southern Kherson region. and weapons.
The Russian Satellite News Agency stated on the 27th that the Ukrainian army launched artillery bombardments on Donetsk and Yasinovartaya from midnight on the 26th to the early morning of the 27th, firing 9 artillery shells. These include shells of 155 mm caliber artillery in service from NATO countries.
Fourth, how effective can Russia’s new recruits be?
On the eve of Mother’s Day in Russia, on November 25, Putin met with 17 military mothers who participated in special military operations in Ukraine. He said that mothers’ nurturing of their children is the main foundation of Russia’s existence and the foundation of the country. Where the entire history lies. Putin also said that Russia will definitely achieve the goals of its military operations in Ukraine.
More than two months ago, Putin announced the recruitment of 300,000 reservists. Western media generally estimate that it will take at least several months before these reservists can be trained, equipped and sent to the battlefield.
However, the U.S. Institute of War Research recently issued a report stating that the first batch of new Russian troops have completed training and been deployed in Zaporozhye, Lugansk and Donetsk regions in eastern Ukraine. The report also said that "Russian forces may continue to use mobilized and redeployed service members to resume offensive operations in Donetsk and maintain defensive positions in Luhansk Oblast."
On Friday, When Putin met with military mothers, he said that there is no longer any need to conduct conscription under the framework of partial mobilization. The US "Capitol Hill" stated that as the conflict develops towards a protracted war, it cannot be ruled out that Moscow will launch a "second round" in December and January next year. The possibility of a second wave of military mobilization.
Fifth, can the two sides engage in dialogue?
Milley, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, said that Ukraine must achieve "the goal of driving out Russian troops from territories including Crimea." The possibility of military victory "out of Ukraine" is "not high." A week ago, Milley told a conference in New York that both sides should admit that military victory was impossible and that the war must be ended through negotiations.
However, Kirby, the strategic communications coordinator for the White House National Security Council, told reporters last week that only Ukrainian President Zelenskiy can decide when he is ready to talk to the Russians. "No one in the United States is pushing , urge or push him to sit at the negotiating table."
So far, neither Russia nor Ukraine has sent a clear signal for negotiation, but the United States' attitude of watching the fire from the other side is very clear.
Perhaps there should be a sixth key question: As the Russia-Ukraine conflict enters winter, what choices will US and EU taxpayers face? Are you still willing to donate money that should be spent on children to the military-industrial complex?