Russian conventional forces have entered the long, bloody battle for Bakhmut in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region, either replacing or augmenting the Wagner private mercenaries that have been fighting to capture the now-ravaged town since July. "The enemy continues to suffer great losses," Ukraine's armed forces said Tuesday, reporting they killed 850 Russian soldiers in the previous 24 hours. But Ukrainian commanders also say they are struggling to hold Bakhmut amid the waves of charging foot soldiers.
"Previously, the assaults were carried out first by convicts, followed by more 'elite' Wagner units, but now airborne units have also joined the fight," Maksym Zhorin, a former co-commander of Ukraine's Azov regiment, wrote on Telegram. "Wagner's troops are forced to advance on foot, while Russian paratroopers have armored personnel carriers and infantry fighting vehicles," he added. "Another difference is that for some reason regular troops are less willing to die than Wagner's men. That is why they act a little more cautiously. But they are still dying, just not in such huge numbers."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Ukraine is suffering heavy losses in Bakhmut, too. "Manpower is less of a Russian problem and, in some ways, more of a Ukrainian problem, not only because the casualties are painful," Lawrence Freedman, a professor emeritus of war studies at King's College London, tells The Associated Press, but they're also often "Ukraine's best troops." He added that losing Bakhmut would give Russia a tactical boost, not a decisive victory.
Bakhmut isn't in imminent danger of falling to Russian forces, "although the Ukrainian command may choose to withdraw rather than risk unacceptable losses," ISW assessed Tuesday night. "It is extraordinarily unlikely that Russian forces will be able to conduct a surprise encirclement of Ukrainian forces in Bakhmut."
And if Russia does take Bakhmut, they'll get a bombed-out ghost city, not the quaint town of 80,000 known for its sparkling wines produced in historic underground caves, AP reports. "It's hell on earth right now," said Ukrainian soldier Petro Voloschenko, who has been defending Bakhmut since August. "Bakhmut is the heart of Ukraine, and the future peace of those cities that are no longer under occupation depends on the rhythm with which it beats."
-
What do heatwaves mean for Scandinavia?Under the Radar A record-breaking run of sweltering days and tropical nights is changing the way people – and animals – live in typically cool Nordic countries
-
August 17 editorial cartoonsCartoons Sunday’s political cartoons include voting rights of felons, misdirection on the way to the Alaska summit, and more
-
5 crime-ridden cartoons about National Guard deployment in DCCartoons Artists take on the crime of littering, the real criminals in DC, and more
-
Russia's Crimea fleet shipyard on fire after Ukrainian missile strikePhotos and videos showed huge explosions and raging fires at the Sevastopol Shipyard
-
Nobody seems surprised Wagner's Prigozhin died under suspicious circumstancesSpeed Read
-
Western mountain climbers allegedly left Pakistani porter to die on K2Speed Read
-
'Circular saw blades' divide controversial Rio Grande buoys installed by Texas governorSpeed Read
-
Los Angeles city workers stage 1-day walkout over labor conditionsSpeed Read
-
Mega Millions jackpot climbs to an estimated $1.55 billionSpeed Read
-
Bangladesh dealing with worst dengue fever outbreak on recordSpeed Read
-
Glacial outburst flooding in Juneau destroys homesSpeed Read
