Lviv/Moscow, 17 Feb. Ukraine today ordered the evacuation of the last inhabitants of the strategic stronghold of Bakhmut in the Donbass, a priority objective for Russian troops and where the bloodiest fighting of the entire military campaign has been taking place for weeks.
“If you are a good citizen, law-abiding and patriotic, you should be evacuated immediately,” Iryna Vereschuk, Ukraine’s deputy prime minister, said on her Telegram channel.
FIGHTS IN THE STREETS OF BAKHMUTH
Vereschuk admitted that “bloody fighting is going on in the city” and that “enemy artillery is hitting residential areas”.
“Only today, five civilians died and nine were injured,” he said.
The leader of the Wagner mercenary group, Yevgueni 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 prepared thoroughly. This was to be expected,” he told the Komsomolskaya Pravda newspaper.
After taking the city of Krasna Hora, Prigozhin has already made it clear that only his mercenaries are fighting in the area, although Ukrainian defenders have spoken of waves of inexperienced Russian soldiers, hinting at mobilized reservists.
According to the American press, the White House advised Kiev to give up Bakhmut because of the high cost in human lives to defend a city, the importance of which 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.
BIRTHDAY PRESENT
“We need Bakhmut to completely cripple the Ukrainian army. According to our intelligence data, there are now almost 40,000 to 50,000 troops there, and the enemy is bringing 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 goal is to march on the Ukrainian stronghold before February 21, when Russian President Vladimir Putin’s first state of the nation address in nearly two years will take place.
Still, Prigozhin admitted that “Bajmut will not be caught tomorrow” because “the resistance is tough” and the city is “a meat grinder”. His prediction is that by March or April his units will have succeeded in closing the encirclement at 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.
FORCED EVACUATION
“Honestly, I am very surprised that 6,000 civilians are still working there. Once again, I urge you to evacuate immediately,” Vereschuk said of a town 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.
RUSSIA STRENGTHENS ITS MILITARY PRESENCE
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 Times”, citing Ukrainian military sources, speaks of 10,000 Russian soldiers concentrated in the northern 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 planes, although the problem is believed to be a 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.