The Ukrainian military on Tuesday reported an “extremely tense” situation around Baghmouth, the epicenter of fighting in eastern Ukraine, where Russian troops have landed in recent weeks and are now trying to encircle the city.
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In a sign of support for Kiev, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, for his part, confirmed that the alliance’s member states have “agreed” to become a “long-term” member, as Ukraine says.
Despite its strategic importance, which is disputed by experts, Bakhmaut has become a symbol of the struggle for control of the industrial region of the Donbass. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi, who visited there in December, vowed to defend the fortress city “as much as possible”.
“The situation around Bagmouth is very tense,” the commander of the Ukrainian ground forces, Oleksandr Chirsky, was quoted as saying by the military’s official news center on Tuesday.
According to him, the Russian paramilitary group Wagner, which is on the front line in this battle, “sent its best-prepared units on the offensive trying to break through the defenses of our troops and encircle the city”.
Wagner’s boss, Evguéni Prigojine, has said in recent weeks that he has been taking over the area around Bagmouth, particularly to its north. Soledar fell in January, then Krasna Gora in February, and on Saturday, the village of Yakutne, located at the gates of the city.
As a result of this slow Russian push, three of the four routes that would have allowed the Ukrainians to supply Bagmouth, as an exit route, and to the west, towards Chasiv Ir, were left only for the Russians to pass south. Trying to move forward.
“Bagmouth falls”
Bagmouth, which had a population of 70,000 before the war, was largely destroyed by the fighting, which caused heavy casualties on both sides.
Donetsk regional governor Pavlo Kyrilenko said in mid-February that fewer than 5,000 citizens, including about 140 children, were still staying in the city despite the danger.
Mr. Zelensky acknowledged on Monday evening that the situation around Bagmouth was becoming “more and more complicated” for Ukrainian soldiers, who described scenes of destruction reminiscent of the First World War.
Ukrainian soldiers interviewed by AFP in Bagmouth on Monday said they were keeping their spirits up.
“We cannot know the full operational situation, but we are here, we are not running away,” said the 44-year-old soldier, whose name is De Guerre “Gay”.
“Not just Buckmouth, Crimea and everything, we’re going to take it all back,” said “Ted”, 45, taking a drag on a cigarette.
“Fox”, 40, is more realistic: “I understand what country we are fighting against (…) They have smart people, people who know how to fight. They think, they learn, the same way we do.
“I think Bagmouth will probably fall,” he said, citing a lack of ammunition and manpower on the Ukrainian side.
According to the Institute for the Study of War think tank, Russia is “implementing new offensive tactics” by creating smaller, more mobile groups.
Ukrainian civil servants reported fighting at other points along the front: in the northeast in Kubiansk, in Avtivka, near the separatist stronghold of Donetsk, and in the east in Liman, recaptured from the Russians in September.
Russia, for its part, said on Tuesday it shot down two Ukrainian drones overnight that targeted civilian infrastructure in the south of its territory. “Both drones lost control and veered off their flight path,” the Defense Ministry assured.
The clashes come after the war in Ukraine entered its second year last week.
On the diplomatic front, China has stepped out of its grip on a 12-point document urging Russia and Ukrainians to start peace talks, urging the two belligerents to negotiate, insisting on territorial integrity and resisting anything. Use of nuclear weapons.
While Westerners generally greeted this Chinese diplomatic intervention with skepticism, President Zelensky said he was ready to “work” with Beijing and announced his willingness to meet with his counterpart, Xi Jinping.
The Kremlin said it was “for now” not looking at conditions for a “peaceful” settlement.
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, one of Moscow’s key allies, arrived in Beijing on Tuesday for a rare visit for his part.
