In a recent interview with The New York Times , the commander of Ukraine’s 93rd Mechanized Brigade, Colonel Pavlo Palisa, described fierce combat situations in the urban area of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine.
In one case, the Russian military used a tank to shoot through the walls of an apartment building controlled by Ukrainian forces, Palisa said. Then Russian soldiers entered the building and the fight went from room to room.
The Ukrainian commander told the story of blowing up the building to “lock” Russian soldiers inside
Palisa added that the apartment complex was occupied by soldiers of both sides, but Ukrainian soldiers placed explosives around the building, quickly left and blew up the building while the Russians were still inside. .
Also according to Mr. Palisa, fierce gunfights at close range are common occurrences during the day. In addition, some Ukrainian soldiers said they were sometimes so close to Russian forces that they could be heard talking in nearby buildings, and fighting broke out in many abandoned buildings and basements. . There is currently no information on Russia’s response to Mr. Palisa’s revelation.
The battle for control of Bakhmut, a city of 73,000 people before the outbreak of conflict, was an event that lasted months and claimed thousands of lives. This is the longest and bloodiest battle in the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, according to Business Insider .
Both Ukraine and Russia suffered heavy losses fighting for Bakhmut, which was judged to have limited strategic value. As a result, Ukraine’s partners, including some officials in the US, have suggested that Kyiv should turn their attention and firepower elsewhere.
British intelligence says Ukrainian forces withdraw ‘orderly’ in Bakhmut
Dara Massicot, a senior policy researcher at the Rand Corporation (USA) think tank, said of both sides’ battle for Bakhmut at a recent conference: “They caused a lot of casualties. used a lot of ammunition.
Leaked Pentagon documents recently revealed that Ukraine’s Bakhmut defense forces were in a fragile and dangerous position in the last days of February, with their units almost surrounded. In an attempt to get the situation under control, Kyiv’s military intelligence leadership ordered the short-term deployment of an elite unit, taking a rather bold gamble at a dangerous time.
Ukrainian forces continue to resist and the Russian army has so far not been able to fully control Bakhmut. However, as of this week, the Russian military controlled more than 76% of Bakhmut, according to an assessment from the Institute for the Study of War (USA).
