meanwhile in Bakhmut, Ukraine has injected fresh troops while Wagner is complaining about running out of ammo. Fi Ukraine can withstand this onslaught and inflict all those casualties while consuming massive amounts of russian supplies, it may be a breaking point for russians now being hit with longer range weapons and the poisoning of their Chechen leader combined with infighting between russian military and Wagner forces. Ukrainian Soldiers, Nearly Encircled, Push Russians Back (msn.com) After months of epic struggle, the fight over the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut had seemed in recent days to be reaching a climax, with Russian forces close to encircling the city and some Ukrainian units pulling out. Then, early Saturday, Ukrainian assault brigades went on the attack. Over the weekend, hundreds of troops joined the counteroffensive, mounting assaults from the ground and pounding Russian positions with artillery from the surrounding hills. Ukrainian commanders acknowledged that their forces in Bakhmut still faced the risk of encirclement, but the fighting over the weekend showed that a military that has surprised the world with its doggedness was not yet ready to give up on Bakhmut. How holding the city might fit in with its broader plans was less clear. ................. Even before Ukraine stepped up its attack on Russians in Bakhmut on the weekend, its forces had moved to beat Russian troops back from the last main highway into the city. That preserved both a supply line that has helped Ukrainian soldiers tie down the Russian offensive for months and an exit route for them should they decide to retreat. “I’m confident Bakhmut will hold,” said Col. Yevhen Mezhevikin, commander of a combined tactical group fighting in Bakhmut. “We have enough forces to throw the enemy back from this city, but it depends on the tasks the command has, be it holding the city, or inflicting maximum losses on the enemy.”
Not so fast: Tenacious Ukrainian defense, Russian ammo shortage thwart Russian advance on Bakhmut (msn.com) BACK ON DEFENSE FOR NOW: Just days after crowing that the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut was on the verge of falling, the head of Russia's Wagner mercenary group has appeared on a social media video complaining that a lack of ammunition has stalled an advance on the town, which is largely in ruins. The Russian front lines could collapse, warned Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin on his Telegram channel on Sunday, accusing the Russian Defense Ministry of cutting off his penal brigades from resupply. "For now, we are trying to figure out the reason: is it just ordinary bureaucracy or a betrayal," said Prigozhin. Meanwhile, the Ukrainian defenders “are continuing to inflict high casualties against the advancing mixed Russian forces,” according to the latest analysis from the Institute for the Study of War, which added that the Ukrainians are “likely setting robust conditions for a future Ukrainian counteroffensive.” “The Ukrainian defense of Bakhmut remains strategically sound as it continues to consume Russian manpower and equipment as long as Ukrainian forces do not suffer excessive casualties,” the ISW said. “Ukrainian forces are unlikely to withdraw from Bakhmut all at once and may pursue a gradual fighting withdrawal to exhaust Russian forces through continued urban warfare.”
Infighting Among Putin Allies Reaches Fever Pitch (msn.com) Girkin is a former Federal Security Service (FSB) officer, and ex-commander who led Russian-backed forces in the separatist Donetsk region in 2014. Also known as Igor Strelkov, he wrote on Sunday that Prigozhin's presence as head of the mercenary group was harming Moscow's campaign to take Bakhmut. In a Telegram social-media post, Girkin had condemned the political ambitions and actions of Prigozhin. He said these were driven by "psychopathy" and were detrimental to the "common cause of victory over Ukraine." Girkin's post also called for the ousting of Russian Minister of Defence Sergei Shoigu. He said that Russian and Wagner troops should be withdrawn from the frontlines to be replenished and reorganized. But when Prigozhin was asked on his Telegram channel about Girkin's criticism, the Wagner founder responded on Monday that "it is simply indecent to discuss Strelkov," using Girkin's nom de guerre.
I hope they know what they’re doing. Losing Bakhmut is not good, but it is not a disaster. Losing a major formation because the city has been encircled is decidedly ungood.
They know exactly what they’re doing. Unlike Russia, which appears to have all the time in the world, the Ukrainian nationalist are performing for a Western audience. As long as that audience have evidence that the Ukrainian nationalists will fight to the last man, the West will likely supply weapons to die with. I don’t think it matters, to the West, if all Ukrainian nationalists die. All that matters to the West is the perception that Russia has suffered. That’s probably the only dignified off-ramp for the West. The best it can hope for.
Translation: Putin will continue to sacrifice hundreds of thousands of his own soldiers in the hope that the West will tire of supporting Ukraine and/or Ukraine which has a much smaller population than Russia will run out of soldiers before Putin runs out of the conscripts that he is using as cannon fodder.
Russia, in its desperation to manufacture more tanks for battle, has resorted to the unthinkable: Tankenstein! They are welding old naval gun turrets onto armored vehicles to make fake tanks. Russian forces resort to welding war relics on to ‘tankenstein’ vehicles (yahoo.com)
Why would it be? In a comparative situation in the U.S., only the President could give such an order. I can’t think of a single country where the commander-in-chief would delegate a strategic decision on the magnitude of holding or withdrawing from a friendly city down to a general. Generals advise on and execute strategy. Politicians make decisions on it, for better or worse.
Ahh, so NATO politicians could be telling Zelenskyy he needs to hold the line in Bakhmut and Zelenskyy passes down the order, without any regard to or consultation with his generals fighting on the front lines?
I lean towards Zelensky. Reportedly, not only his generals, but the US has been urging Ukraine not to waste the better part of his army on an indefensible position.
Sure, that could be possible. Do I think that’s what’s happening? No. It’s far more likely that Ukrainians are emotional about holding on to Ukrainian territory than NATO politicians are. If you have some actual insight, then please share. Otherwise, my speculation is as good as yours. Behold. The reason the Ukrainians are fighting so hard to hold Bakhmut is that this is the location of their doomsday lab, where — any day now — a virus that targets only Russians and spares the rest of humanity will be ready for release.
Whether Bakhmut is of strategic value or not is irrelevant ... Russian forces are legally obligated to liberate this now ‘occupied Russian territory’ from the invader. It’s as simple as that. Even if it was the least strategically significant parcel of land on Holy Earth, they’ve still got to liberate it as it is now 100% legal Russian territory in the eyes of the Russian constitution. Let’s not be hoodwinked into thinking Russia has been ‘tricked’ into dying over ‘strategically irrelevant land’—it’s a smokescreen to hide the truth. SITREP 3/6/23: Bakhmut Noose Tightens
Thanks for the great links G8tr! My favorite Ukranian podcaster (Denys Davydov) advised the following yesterday: Russian interlopers have been STUCK for three straight days now around Bakhmut. Literally NO movement. Combination of warm weather = General MUD and ammunition supply problems from Mother Russia. Interestingly Denys advised Ukranian armor and troops have been steadily reinforcing and according to Denys, the head guy from Wagner, Prigozhin, has even suggested that a Ukranian counter offensive could possibly trap Wagner forces now! Supposedly Prigozhin is claiming Russian Generals are continuing to slow if not prevent ammunition and some arms from reaching his troops. Apparantly the formal Russian military does not like the Wagner Group very much.
