The battle of Bakhmut could become a trap for the Ukrainian Army and force the Kyiv government to negotiate with Russia in the event of major losses.
Unlike what happened in Kherson, the battle of Bakhmut (also known as Artemovsk by the Kyiv government) according to some world military experts, the situation is proving very unfavorable for Ukraine.
Fighting is currently taking place on the outskirts of the city. Reports are varied and contradictory, but it is reported that the private military company Wagner has breached the defenses of Ukrainian soldiers.
The above information has even been confirmed by some sources in the field but is still waiting for an official announcement from the Bakhmut city government or from the Russian Ministry of Defense.
Ukrainian media said that “the city of Artemovsk is generally very well fortified. But in the last few days, the defense has started to give way”.
Many reports refer to the fact that hundreds of Ukrainian servicemen were killed. Meanwhile, the press in Moscow reports that Artemovsk is already in the hands of Russian forces, although some say this has not yet materialized but will happen soon.
But why is Bakhmut so important? This is a very significant location for the counterattacks of the Ukrainian armed forces. Russia recognizes this and has taken a number of tactical and strategic steps to try to turn the situation in its favor.
Western military experts say that the city of Bakhmut/Artemovsk can become “a determining factor of the size of the entire special military operation” of the Russian Federation.
In particular, according to former commander-in-chief of NATO forces in Europe – General Wesley Clark, Russian soldiers are setting a “fire trap” for the Ukrainian Army in the region.
According to the American 4-star general, if the Ukrainian armed forces suffer “significant losses”, this will give Russian President Vladimir Putin a trump card to force Kyiv into a temporary ceasefire, even if ceasefire.
Attacks of the Russian Army in the Donbas pursue certain tactical and strategic goals. What happens here could become the deciding factor in the entire special military operation.
The retired American general outlined the main condition for Russia to have a “temporary victory” in Ukraine. According to Clark, the Russian military needs to put units of the Ukrainian armed forces “into a fire trap” in the Artemovsk region.
“If the Ukrainian military suffers significant losses, then Russian President Putin will be able to force Kyiv to agree to a temporary or even permanent ceasefire,” General Clark expressed this view in an interview on the TV channel CNN image.
“If Russian troops can take the positions of the Ukrainian Army in Artemovsk, then President Putin will win,” the retired US Army official said in his commentary.
General Clark also said that continued missile attacks by the Russian armed forces against Ukraine’s critical energy infrastructure could translate into sustained action, which is regularly carried out by the Kremlin.
According to Clark, “Russia now has what it takes to inflict significant damage on Ukraine, and Kyiv will have a hard time keeping up.”
But for Ukraine, they asserted that they were still holding on to the city of Bakhmut and inflicted so many heavy losses on the Russian army that it was “irreversible”.
