Bakhmut: The Bloodiest Battle of the Ukraine War, Explained | WSJ

(upbeat music) - [Narrator] This is the eastern Ukrainian City of Bakhmut in summer 2022, and this is what it looked like half a year later. Moscow has been trying to take Bakhmut since last July, turning it into the sight of the bloodiest fight of Russia's war in Ukraine. While some military analysts and Western officials have debated how important the city is to the overall conflict, both Moscow and Kyiv have doubled down on their military operations. (Sergei speaking Russian) (Volodymyr speaking Ukrainian) - [Narrator] Here's how Bakhmut turned into a political symbol for Kyiv and Moscow and why this battle has been so difficult for both sides. (upbeat music) Located in the highly contested Donetsk region, Bakhmut wasn't an obvious spot on the map to become one of the focal points of the war. The city does sit on a number of major roads, linking it to strategically important locations in the region. But Bakhmut itself isn't a significant transportation hub according to some military analysts, and the city's hilly terrain makes it a difficult place to advance from. - If the Russians do eventually take Bakhmut, they'll have to go over higher ground and the Ukrainians have had plenty of time to build highly defensible positions there. - [Narrator] Some of those positions are in the town of Chasiv Yar that sits on a hill around six miles west where Ukrainians have been digging trenches. More can be found further west in Kramatorsk and Slovyansk, the heavily fortified Ukrainian strongholds in Donetsk. - [Stephen] It's not gonna be easy for the Russians from now on even if they take the the city. - [Narrator] This makes it unlikely that taking control of the city would be a turning point for Russia. So why have both sides continued to fight for the city? Ukrainian commanders say they aim to exhaust Russian forces there and give themselves time to prepare for offensives of their own, and for Russia, the battle has turned into a defining moment for Wagner, the mercenary group that spearheaded the Russian offensive. Thanks to them, the region surrounding the city is one of the few places where Moscow has made any major progress since last summer. But to do this, the group has invested almost its entire supply of recruits, sending waves of soldiers to near certain death. In March, a UK military advisor estimated that between 20,000 and 30,000 Russian troops have been killed or wounded in the area around Bakhmut since the start of the offensive. - Bakhmut has developed a symbolic significance far greater than the operational or strategic significance of the city. - [Narrator] And military analysts say Ukraine's losses, which are classified, are also increasing. Russian and Ukrainian military officials didn't respond to our request for comment on the number of casualties they've suffered in Bakhmut. (upbeat music) Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky, has come under criticism at home for deciding to defend Fortress Bakhmut as he called it, despite mounting deaths. But in late March, Western officials and some military analysts said Russia's offensive in Bakhmut was losing momentum. - It may be that the Russians have effectively exhausted themselves or it may be that the Russians are just pausing, hoping to resupply and go at it again with one final push. - [Narrator] Despite questions about the city's strategic importance, the large number of troops and ammunition that both sides have poured into the battle has created a military significance of its own. - The next thing really to watch will be what happens when Ukrainian forces re-equipped with Western tanks and other sophisticated equipment and try to take back more land occupied by the Russians.

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Id: cJGAFHbBGpg

Length: 3min 54sec (234 seconds)

Published: Mon Apr 03 2023