According to the German intelligence agency, Ukraine is suffering heavy losses on the Bakhmut front, in the east of the country when Russia shifts its focus here.
Der Spiegel newspaper reported on January 20, the German Federal Intelligence Service was “alarmed” about heavy losses of Ukraine in the Bakhmut battlefield, Donetsk Oblast, eastern Ukraine. “Every day, the number of Ukrainian soldiers killed (in Bakhmut) is in the triple digits,” Der Spiegel quoted data from German intelligence agencies during a closed-door meeting earlier this week.
According to the assessment of German intelligence, both Russia and Ukraine have been trying to control the strategic city of Bakhmut for the past few months, but the situation is not good for Kiev. They warned that if Russia took control of Bakhmut, Ukraine would suffer “serious consequences.
The Ukrainian military has not yet commented on the information. Earlier, the country’s officials, including President Volodymyr Zelensky, confirmed that the situation on the Bakhmut front was “extremely difficult”, but that Ukrainian forces were trying to hold the line.
Bakhmut has strategic significance for both Russia and Ukraine. If Moscow captures Bakhmut, it could disrupt Ukraine’s supply lines and open a way for the Russians to put pressure on Kramatorsk and Sloviansk – key Ukrainian strongholds in Donetsk, thereby taking full control Donetsk.
For Ukraine, Bakhmut is not only a point of defense but also one of the major transport hubs, and the last in Donbas is in the hands of Kyiv. All supply lines of the Ukrainian army to Donbas must pass through here.
Many experts believe that the battle in Bakhmut could create a turning point in the Russian-Ukrainian conflict. Russia is having the advantage of force and firepower here thanks to the addition from the Kherson front.
