Russia’s Wagner Group is claiming that it has taken partial control of the eastern part of Bakhmut City. Jens Stoltenberg, the NATO Secretary General on Wednesday, March 8th, 2023, warned that Russia might take control of Bakhmut in the days to come after several months of intense fighting.
Stoltenberg said that Russia was throwing more forces, and more troops and it attempted to make up for what it lacked in quality with quantity. The Wagner Group claimed that the Russian soldiers increased their gains in Bakhmut, a Ukrainian stronghold. However, it is not clear how long the fight that has caused heavy losses will continue.
The clash for Bakhmut, which Ukrainians refer to as “fortress Bakhmut” has become symbolic of how both sides have tried to wear down each other. Russian troops have to go through Bakhmut to get deeper into areas in Donetsk, a province they do not control yet. However, Western experts claim that capturing Bakhmut would not change the war’s course.
In recent months, the two nations have focused on Bakhmut in the conflict, with each side hoping it can cause severe losses to the other there while giving themselves more time to prepare offensives elsewhere. It is hard to say which nations of the two paid a higher price in the war. Before the conflict, Bakhmut’s population was over 70,000 people. Now, it is a wasteland.
If Russians capture the region, their morale will be boosted following several military defeats in other areas in Ukraine. Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian President has expressed his displeasure against Russia’s efforts to take control of Bakhmut.
