{"id":4552,"date":"2023-03-06T16:33:42","date_gmt":"2023-03-06T16:33:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/londonpost.news\/?p=4552"},"modified":"2023-03-23T18:40:39","modified_gmt":"2023-03-23T18:40:39","slug":"ukraine-vows-to-strengthen-bakhmuts-frontline-defenses","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/analysis\/defense\/ukraine-vows-to-strengthen-bakhmuts-frontline-defenses\/2023\/03\/06\/admin1\/","title":{"rendered":"Ukraine vows to strengthen Bakhmut’s frontline defenses"},"content":{"rendered":"

Kyiv<\/span>\u00a0(AFP)<\/span> \u2013<\/span> Ukraine<\/span> pledged<\/span> on<\/span> Monday<\/span> to<\/span> bolster<\/span> its<\/span> defences<\/span> in<\/span> frontline<\/span> Bakhmut,<\/span> after<\/span> reports<\/span> that<\/span> Kyiv<\/span> was<\/span> withdrawing<\/span> from<\/span> the<\/span> city<\/span> that’s<\/span> become<\/span> a<\/span> symbolic<\/span> prize<\/span> in<\/span> the<\/span> war.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>The<\/span> eastern<\/span> Ukrainian<\/span> city<\/span> has<\/span> been<\/span> virtually<\/span> flattened<\/span> in<\/span> what<\/span> has<\/span> become<\/span> the<\/span> longest<\/span> and<\/span> bloodiest<\/span> battle<\/span> since<\/span> Russia’s<\/span> more<\/span> than<\/span> year-long<\/span> invasion.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Ukraine<\/span> has<\/span> reported<\/span> an<\/span> increasingly<\/span> difficult<\/span> situation<\/span> around<\/span> Bakhmut<\/span> in<\/span> recent<\/span> days<\/span> and<\/span> some<\/span> analysts<\/span> said<\/span> its<\/span> forces<\/span> may<\/span> have<\/span> initiated<\/span> a<\/span> strategic<\/span> retreat.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>But<\/span> President<\/span> Volodymyr<\/span> Zelensky<\/span> met<\/span> with<\/span> top<\/span> commanders<\/span> Monday<\/span> and<\/span> his<\/span> office<\/span> said<\/span> they<\/span> were<\/span> in<\/span> favour<\/span> of<\/span> “continuing<\/span> the<\/span> defensive<\/span> operation<\/span> and<\/span> further<\/span> strengthening<\/span> our<\/span> positions<\/span> in<\/span> Bakhmut.”<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Neither<\/span> side<\/span> has<\/span> said<\/span> how<\/span> many<\/span> troops<\/span> they<\/span> have<\/span> lost<\/span> in<\/span> the<\/span> battle,<\/span> with<\/span> observers<\/span> saying<\/span> both<\/span> Moscow<\/span> and<\/span> Kyiv<\/span> are<\/span> trying<\/span> to<\/span> exhaust<\/span> each<\/span> other.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Russia<\/span> has<\/span> appeared<\/span> determined<\/span> to<\/span> take<\/span> Bakhmut<\/span> at<\/span> all<\/span> costs,<\/span> despite<\/span> analysts<\/span> saying<\/span> the<\/span> city<\/span> has<\/span> little<\/span> strategic<\/span> value.<\/span> The<\/span> Ukrainian<\/span> military<\/span> said<\/span> on<\/span> Sunday<\/span> it<\/span> had<\/span> repelled<\/span> “more<\/span> than<\/span> 130″<\/span> Russian<\/span> attacks<\/span> in<\/span> the<\/span> vicinity<\/span> of<\/span> Bakhmut<\/span> in<\/span> a<\/span> single<\/span> day,<\/span> saying<\/span> Moscow<\/span> forces<\/span> were<\/span> trying<\/span> to<\/span> encircle<\/span> the<\/span> city.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>The<\/span> US-based<\/span> War<\/span> Research<\/span> Institute<\/span> said<\/span> Ukrainian<\/span> forces<\/span> may<\/span> have<\/span> begun<\/span> a<\/span> strategic<\/span> withdrawal<\/span> from<\/span> the<\/span> city.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>\u201cUkrainian<\/span> forces<\/span> are<\/span> likely<\/span> to<\/span> conduct<\/span> a<\/span> limited<\/span> tactical<\/span> withdrawal<\/span> in<\/span> Bakhmut,<\/span> but<\/span> it<\/span> is<\/span> too<\/span> early<\/span> to<\/span> assess<\/span> Ukraine\u2019s<\/span> intentions<\/span> to<\/span> withdraw<\/span> completely<\/span> from<\/span> the<\/span> city,\u201d<\/span> read<\/span> a<\/span> recently<\/span> published<\/span> analytical<\/span> note.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>As<\/span> the<\/span> fighting<\/span> rages,<\/span> the<\/span> Russian<\/span> mercenary<\/span> group<\/span> leading<\/span> the<\/span> Battle<\/span> of<\/span> Bakhmut<\/span> his<\/span> Wagner<\/span> leader<\/span> laments<\/span> that<\/span> his<\/span> army<\/span> lacks<\/span> ammunition.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Evgeny<\/span> Prigozhin<\/span> claimed<\/span> late<\/span> Sunday<\/span> that<\/span> Russian<\/span> reservists<\/span> destined<\/span> for<\/span> deployment<\/span> in<\/span> Bakhmut<\/span> had<\/span> been<\/span> diverted<\/span> and<\/span> the<\/span> ammunition<\/span> promised<\/span> by<\/span> the<\/span> army<\/span> had<\/span> arrived<\/span> several<\/span> days<\/span> late.<\/span> “I’m<\/span> trying<\/span> to<\/span> figure<\/span> out<\/span> what<\/span> the<\/span> reason<\/span> is.<\/span> Regular<\/span> bureaucracy<\/span> or<\/span> treason,”<\/span> Prigogine<\/span> said<\/span> on<\/span> social<\/span> media.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>A<\/span> Kremlin-affiliated<\/span> businessman,<\/span> Prigozhin<\/span> experienced<\/span> great<\/span> influence<\/span> during<\/span> the<\/span> Moscow<\/span> Offensive<\/span> and<\/span> regularly<\/span> competed<\/span> with<\/span> the<\/span> Russian<\/span> army.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Ukraine<\/span> is<\/span> also<\/span> facing<\/span> fresh<\/span> airstrikes,<\/span> with<\/span> the<\/span> air<\/span> force<\/span> saying<\/span> it<\/span> shot<\/span> down<\/span> 13<\/span> of<\/span> his<\/span> demolition<\/span> drones<\/span> launched<\/span> overnight<\/span> from<\/span> southern<\/span> Russia.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>The<\/span> Air<\/span> Force<\/span> said<\/span> in<\/span> a<\/span> telegram<\/span> that<\/span> Russian<\/span> forces<\/span> had<\/span> launched<\/span> 15<\/span> Iranian-made<\/span> Shahed<\/span> drones,<\/span> 13<\/span> of<\/span> which<\/span> were<\/span> shot<\/span> down<\/span> by<\/span> Ukrainian<\/span> forces.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Russian<\/span> Defense<\/span> Minister<\/span> in<\/span> Mariupol<\/span><\/strong>
\n<\/span>South<\/span> of<\/span> the<\/span> battlefield,<\/span> Russian<\/span> Defense<\/span> Minister<\/span> Sergei<\/span> Shoigu<\/span> visited<\/span> the<\/span> port<\/span> city<\/span> of<\/span> Mariupol,<\/span> which<\/span> Moscow<\/span> captured<\/span> last<\/span> spring<\/span> after<\/span> a<\/span> long<\/span> siege.<\/span> Shoigu<\/span> is<\/span> one<\/span> of<\/span> the<\/span> top<\/span> Russian<\/span> officials<\/span> visiting<\/span> eastern<\/span> Ukraine.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>He<\/span> visited<\/span> the<\/span> devastated<\/span> city<\/span> to<\/span> oversee<\/span> its<\/span> reconstruction.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Mariupol<\/span> on<\/span> the<\/span> Sea<\/span> of<\/span> \u200b\u200bAzov<\/span> fell<\/span> to<\/span> Russian<\/span> forces<\/span> last<\/span> May<\/span> and<\/span> has<\/span> been<\/span> largely<\/span> cut<\/span> off<\/span> from<\/span> outside<\/span> control<\/span> ever<\/span> since.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>In<\/span> Moscow,<\/span> Russia’s<\/span> FSB<\/span> security<\/span> service<\/span> claimed<\/span> to<\/span> have<\/span> thwarted<\/span> an<\/span> assassination<\/span> attempt<\/span> on<\/span> controversial<\/span> pro-Kremlin<\/span> tycoon<\/span> Konstantin<\/span> Malofeyev.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>The<\/span> FSB<\/span> has<\/span> accused<\/span> a<\/span> Russian-founded<\/span> sabotage<\/span> group<\/span> of<\/span> encroaching<\/span> on<\/span> the<\/span> border<\/span> from<\/span> Ukraine<\/span> last<\/span> week.<\/span> The<\/span> assassination<\/span> has<\/span> been<\/span> claimed<\/span> to<\/span> be<\/span> an<\/span> “act<\/span> of<\/span> terrorism”<\/span> similar<\/span> to<\/span> the<\/span> murder<\/span> of<\/span> far-right<\/span> thinker<\/span> and<\/span> Kremlin<\/span> supporter<\/span> daughter<\/span> Daria<\/span> Dugina<\/span> last<\/span> August.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Kyiv\u00a0(AFP) \u2013 Ukraine pledged on Monday to bolster its defences in frontline Bakhmut, after reports that Kyiv was withdrawing from the city that’s become a symbolic prize in the war. The eastern Ukrainian city has been virtually flattened in what has become the longest and bloodiest battle since Russia’s more than year-long invasion. Ukraine has […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":4553,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":""},"categories":[26,276,2399,2425,2450,2480,2482],"tags":[132,154,170,174],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/BKHMT.jpg","amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4552"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4552"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4552\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4556,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4552\/revisions\/4556"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4553"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4552"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4552"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4552"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}