“Bakhmut” is in our hands, this is how Yevgeny Prigozhin, the founder of the Russian military company PMC “Wagner”, announced the tightening of his forces’ control over the city of “Bakhmut”, after a long and brutal confrontation, that lasted 224 days, between Wagner’s forces and the Ukrainian army, in the Battle of the Experts The battle of Stalingrad between the Russian and German forces in World War II ended with the defeat of the German army.
The long Battle of Bakhmut, known as the “Meat Grinder of Bakhmut”, took Wagner 224 days to control, and this information was published in a statement issued by the press service of “Yevgeny Prigozhin” on his “Telegram” channel.
Clearing and fortifying the city and transferring it to the Russian army
Prigozhin also said that until May 25, the PMC fighters will carry out an operation to clear the entire city of Bakhmut, establish defensive positions and transfer them to the military personnel of the Russian Defense Ministry.
The fighters of the PMC also expressed their readiness to continue the call to the homeland if necessary.
Bakhmut.. a trap for the Ukrainian armed forces
The city of Bakhmut and the battle for it is a vivid example of the fact that the clashes involving the Russian Federation and the real hostilities on the ground are the result of different alliances, and this was noted by the political observer Andrei Berle.
Initially, Bakhmut’s importance was as a logistical center for the Ukrainians, but as the fighting continued, its symbolic value only increased.
On the other hand, the offensive units, in particular the private military company “Wagner”, are becoming increasingly important.
Andrei Berl noted that in the West, on the other side of the front line, it became clear that events were not developing according to the planned scenario, and instead of a show of strength, the Ukrainian forces faced defeat.
-The Ukrainians were unable to stop the advance of the Russian forces, neither advanced NATO weapons nor mercenaries were able to help the Ukrainian army take the city.
-Thus, the Ukrainian army was trapped. He could not retreat, as Bakhmut’s value was artificially inflated, and the defeat seemed unacceptable. However, it was also impossible to defeat the Russian forces and drive them out of the city and as a result, the situation turned into a “Bakhmut meat grinder”, as the Ukrainian army lost many numbers of personnel, and the defeat became more and more difficult over time.
However, not all problems were confined to the front lines, as Bakhmut highlighted all the problems of the Armed Forces of Ukraine insufficient coordination between main and sub-units, political ambitions, lack of ammunition and other problems.
All these shortcomings have become quite obvious and visible.
Nevertheless, in the overall result, the victory remained with Russian weapons, both in combat operations and in the field of information. Bakhmut became a gift to the Russian people.
The announcement of the control of Bakhmut came on the day of the liberation of “Mariupol”, this symbolizes the double victory of the Russian weapons.
open questions?
The question now is what strategy the Armed Forces of Ukraine will choose after the defeat at Bakhmut.
Journalist Andrei Rudenko suggests that Ukrainian forces will become more active and continue to fight.
War correspondent Aleksandr Sladkov describes the Russian control of Bakhmut as “a gift to the Russian people.”
