Battle for Bakhmut: Ukraine ordered the evacuation of civilians and the Wagner group said it had conquered a nearby village

Ukraine ordered this Friday the evacuation of the last inhabitants of the strategic stronghold of Bakhmut in the Donbass, priority target of Russian troops and where the bloodiest battles of the entire military campaign have been taking place for weeks.

“If you are a good citizen, law-abiding and patriotic, you should be evacuated immediately,” Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereschuk said on her Telegram channel.

Vereschuk admitted that “bloody fights are taking place in the city” and that “Enemy artillery strikes residential neighborhoods.” “Only today, five civilians died and nine were injured,” he said.

The head of Wagner Mercenary GroupYevgeny Prigozhin admitted that the fighting in the city, located in the Donetsk region, is fierce. “In every orchard there is a fortified quarter. The enemy has carefully prepared. It was to be expected,” he told the newspaper. Komsomolskaya Pravda.

After taking the town of Krasna Hora, Prigozhin has already clarified that only his mercenaries are fighting in the regionalthough Ukrainian defenders spoke of waves of inexperienced Russian soldiers, hinting at mobilized reservists.

This Friday, Prigozhin assured that his paramilitary group conquered the village of Paraskoviivka, bordering Bakhmut. “Despite the ammunition blockade, despite heavy losses and bloody battles, the guys occupied the entire territory of Paraskoviivka,” he told his press service.

“The Paraskoviivka settlement is completely under the control of Wagner’s PMC units,” Prigozhin said.

According to the American press, the White House advised kyiv to give up Bakhmut because of the high cost in human lives to defend a city, whose the importance is more symbolic than strategic.

Washington recommended that the Ukrainian army withdraw several kilometers on the grounds that the altitude at Chasiv Yar is higher, making it easier to defend.

If in doubt, Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelensky visited Bakhmut in December, where he decorated its defenders and assured that his troops had no intention of withdrawing.

“Bakhmut, we must completely cripple the Ukrainian army. According to our intelligence data, there are now almost 40,000 to 50,000 men there and the enemy is bringing in new reinforcements every day,” Prigozhin said.

kyiv reports that the Russian army has increased the intensity of the shelling, turning the Bakhmut slums into an impassable ruin.

The Russian objective is to march on the Ukrainian stronghold before February 21when Russian President Vladimir Putin’s first State of the Nation Address in nearly two years takes place.

Still, Prigozhin admitted that “Bakhmut will not be caught tomorrow”, because “the resistance is tough” and the city is “a meat grinder”. His forecast is that by March or April his units will have successfully closed the encirclement of Bakhmut.

Similar situations have already been experienced in April in Mariupol (Donetsk) and in June in Severodonetsk (Lugansk), where Kiev ordered the evacuation before the siege was consumed and the siege of the city began.

Taking Bakhmut would allow the Russians to control the roads leading to Ukraine’s main strongholds in Donetsk: Kramatorsk and Sloviansk.

“Honestly, I am very surprised that 6,000 civilians are still working there. Again, I urge you to evacuate immediately.”Vereschuk pointed out of a city that, before the conflict, was inhabited by more than 70,000 people.

The Deputy Prime Minister warned that if these civilians did not leave their homes, they could endanger their loved ones, especially children.

“Second, you create additional problems and risks for those trying to help you (soldiers, national police and volunteers),” he said.

Moreover, Vereschuk assured that the presence of civilians makes it difficult for Ukrainian troops to work when it comes to defending the city.

“Why do they constantly have to worry about your safety?” he wondered.

In the absence of confirmation of the Russian offensive, the local and international press reported an increase in the number of Russian troops, military equipment and aircraft on the border with Ukraine.

The newspaper The temperatureciting Ukrainian military sources, talks about 10,000 Russian soldiers concentrated north of the Sumy region.

As for the planes, the independent Russian press points out that the Ministry of Defense has decided to increase the participation of aviation in the fighting on the entire front.

NATO considers that Russia still has 80% of its planesalthough the problem would lie in the shortage of pilots with combat experience.

Meanwhile, in the Black Sea, the Russian Navy has increased its flotilla to eleven ships, which could simultaneously fire up to 24 Kalibr cruise missiles against Ukrainian territory.

(With information from EFE and AFP)

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