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WNU Editor: The battle for this city has been intense for almost 9 months. It is not going to end in two days …. Russia’s Prigozhin says Bakhmut will not fall in next two days (Reuters).
And while there is hope in the West that the battle for Bakhmut may shift in favor of the Ukrainian army …. Ukraine, Wagner group both say Russian forces in retreat near Bakhmut (CBC/Reuters), the momentum is simply not there.
At the end of 2022 I wrote that the battle for Bakhmut was the biggest battle of the war, and a “meat grinder” for both armies. This battle also suited the Russian strategy of engaging the Ukraine army in a war of attrition, a tactic that favored the Russians due to their superior firepower and advantages in logistics.
We are now at the end, and all the worst predictions have come true.
It is not mentioned much in the West, but the Ukraine military threw in the equivalent of an Army Corps to the defense of Bakhmut, but it was not enough. The Wagner Group has defeated the best that Ukraine can throw in the battle, and it’s impact is going to be felt across the board in Ukraine.