“Russia has changed tactics”, Mykhailo Podolyak said in an interview with Italian newspaper La Stampa. “It has approached Bakhmut with a large part of its trained military personnel, the remnants of its professional army, and private companies”.
“So we have two goals: to reduce their capable personnel as much as possible and set them up for a few key, agonizing battles, to interrupt their offensive and concentrate our resources elsewhere for a spring counteroffensive. So today Bakhmut is fully effective, even exceeding its key tasks”.
The small, eastern city of Bakhmut has become the site of the bloodiest battle of the war. It has become the main target of a winter offensive by Moscow, which involved hundreds of thousands of reservists and mercenaries, while trying to secure its first major victory in more than six months.
Russian forces have captured the eastern part of the city and suburbs to the north and south, but have so far failed to close in on the Ukrainian defenders.
Kiev, which in early March appeared to be planning a westward withdrawal, announced this week that its generals had decided to reinforce Bakhmut and continue fighting.
(jh)
Source: PAP