President Zelenskyy's statement on the situation in Bahkmut released this morning:

[Tomconroy]

Home News Current events
Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a meeting of the Staff of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief
6 March 2023 - 13:36

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a regular meeting of the Staff of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief on Monday.

The commanders of the operational and strategic groups of troops reported on the situation on the main frontline directions.

The members of the Staff reviewed the situation in Bakhmut in particular detail. Assessing the course of the defense operation, the President asked Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valerii Zaluzhny and Commander of the Khortytsia operational and strategic group of troops Oleksandr Syrskyi about further actions in the Bakhmut direction. They spoke in favor of continuing the defense operation and further strengthening our positions in Bakhmut.

In addition, the parties discussed the supply of weapons and equipment and their distribution to operational directions.


Bahkmut Holds!
Reports seem to indicate Russian advances have slackened in the last two days. Ukraine has allowed reporters and military analysts near Bahkmut recently. Perhaps an indication of confidence in the defense. There is a long article in the NY Times this morning reporting from the front.

[2naSalit]

1. K&R

[hlthe2b]

2. I have been haunted by reporting of Bahkmut now and previous.

and feeling guilty that I'm having to moderate a bit in how much I read.

My thoughts, hopes, and yes, prayers are with the Ukrainians in that area.

[Tomconroy]

3. Reports are Russian attacks have slackened since 3/4.

[Botany]

4. The average life expectancy of a front-line soldier (Russian) around Bakhmut is 4 hours

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100217703012

The Ukrainian Forces and their allies are grinding the Russians into dust.



Crimean Tartars (Muslim) have been pissed @ Russia for a long time and they have been fighting
for Zelenskyy (Jewish) and the Ukraine from the get go in part because they want to move back
to Crimea.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

16. It is not "the Ukraine". That is Putin-speak to push the idea Ukraine is just a province of Russia

Ukraine is the sovereign country attacked by Putin's Russia.

"The Ukraine" WAS a region in the Soviet Union that suffered the Holomodor starvation holocaust at the hands of Stalin, Putin's idol.

[oldsoftie]

37. Thank you.

[cilla4progress]

5. Anything we can do to help,

specifically?

Dumb q, I know, but this seems so critical!

[Tomconroy]

7. I send money to United 24 every month. Your contribution can

Be directed towards military, medical or rebuilding aid. This is the initiative of President Zelenskyy. It has raised a 1/4 of a billion dollars in small contributions from people all over the world.

https://u24.gov.ua/

[cilla4progress]

10. Excellent -

thanks!

Amazingly tech site and process!

Thanks much!

On edit: omigod...you have introduced me to a whole world.. Timothy Snyder. Barbara Streisand, Brad Paisley - all "ambassadors" for this fundraising effort (I listened to Paisley's song he recently wrote incorporating Zelenskyy 's spoken words... incredibly moving).

Fabulous.

What can happen when one asks a dumb q on DU!!

[soldierant]

34. "Same Here"

that got me too. - I tripped over it last week and melted. I had never even heard of Paisley. I think it was in a clip from Nicille's show.

[cilla4progress]

35. Yeah.

They are the heart of the world. Showing fierce humanity.

[LymphocyteLover]

21. Awesome-- thanks for the info

[yonder]

33. +1. Thanks for the link.

[TexLaProgressive]

17. Roland Bartetzko is in Ukraine. He is tirelessly working to get supplies to the Ukrainian armed forc

His email is:
mailto:[e-mail]

He has a book “The Smell of War” about his experiences in the Kosovo Liberation Army and Croatian Defense Council. I know of Roland from Quora, one of the few reasons I am still using Quora.
https://www.quora.com/profile/Roland-Bartetzko?q=Roland%20ba
He has a wiki page
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roland_Bartetzko

[Beetwasher.]

6. I Have a Suspicion While all Eyes are Focused on Bahkmut

There's other stuff in the works. I think UK is keeping Russia occupied and tied down in Bahkmut. They've done this before, and Russia is too stupid to learn.

[Tomconroy]

8. Reading between the lines of the NY Times article this morning

Ukraine seems to be keeping it's best troops, the ones who have been trained in combined Arms, in reserve.

[Kaleva]

9. That's what I think too based on what I've read

[niyad]

11. Slava Ukraini! Thank you for the update.

And congratulations on your 2nd DUnniversary.

[ffr]

13. +1 n/t

[peggysue2]

12. From all accounts, this battle has been vicious, brutal

Ukraine has taken losses but the Russians have continually sent wave after wave of poorly-trained men into a virtual meat grinder. It's been difficult to discern who was winning, holding, retreating as the weeks have passed. I would not have been surprised if Zelensky and his military command had decided to retreat and give up the defense of Bakhmut. The pictures of the region are devastating.

This decision cuts through the Russian propaganda that the Wagner group and others have been spewing about victory and certain encirclement. I doubt Zelensky would sacrifice his men for a worthless cause; that's more Putin's style. Though it's been reported numerous times that Bakhmut is not strategically critical, it's obvious the Ukrainians feel confident and are stubborn and defiant enough not to give an inch as they continue a battle of attrition--killing more Russians, crippling more Russian materiel than they themselves have lost.

It astounds me that anyone would question the fierce dedication of Ukraine. I suspect the battle supplies Ukraine has requested and the Allies have promised--tanks, ammunition and arms, etc--are starting to arrive.

The anticipated, Ukrainian counteroffensive should be one for the ages. Russia's military to date has proven to be a dud. Yesterday, I read that the Russians are already fortifying and trenching Crimea. They know what's coming--Ukraine will not stop until every Russian is expelled from her borders.

[ffr]

15. I watch the drone videos online. The Russian army looks very undisciplined.

They look like a militia, a bunch of guys with guns, looting, and trashing up the landscape. They're anything but the elite fighting force they've been portrayed as.

It could also be that they're just not into it, forced to be there against their will. No matter. I support NATO sending whatever means possible to wear down the murderous thieves and their commanders.

[peggysue2]

19. I agree!

Some of the video from these bedraggled Russian units almost make me feel sorry for them. There are units pleading for supplies, ammunition, reinforcements. These are soldiers dragged out to the battlefield with very little training, put under local, east Ukrainian command, and then abandoned. Their wounded and dead are left where they fall. These guys are treated like garbage.

And yes, then there are the looters, rapists and criminals. No sympathy there.

[cbabe]

14. Russians fight with shovels; out of ammo.

https://www.newsweek.com › russia-reservists-low-tech-mpl-50-fighting-shovels-uk-defense-ministry-1785582

Russia's reservists issued with low-tech MPL-50 "fighting shovels"—U.K.

1 day agoReports from mobilized Russian reservists have previously suggested soldiers were ordered to attack Ukrainian positions equipped only with "firearms and shovels," Britain's Ministry of...

https://www.nbcnews.com › news › world › russian-troops-fight-shovels-ammo-shortage-bakhmut-prigozhin-wagner-rcna73501

Russian troops' ammunition shortage undermines Bakhmut advance - NBC News

TodayRussian troops 'forced to fight with shovels' as ammo shortage undermines Bakhmut advance The head of the Wagner mercenary force that has led the assault renewed his criticism of Moscow's...

[CanonRay]

18. Haven't the Russians and/or Wagner claimed victory here about 3 times?

Can't believe a word the Russkys utter.

[Happy Hoosier]

20. I hope they aren't over-valuing Bahkmut

IF they can break Wagner there, it would be a HUGE deal. But I hope they don't just throw good resources after bad.

It's important they maximize the effectiveness of their resources. Russia has adopted a meat-grinder strategy to try and grind Ukraine down.

[LymphocyteLover]

23. I imagine Ukraine realizes they can't waste troops but if Russia wants to throw men and resources

that are easily dispatched by Ukraine, then maybe they feel it's worth the effort.

[Happy Hoosier]

25. That has beed the case up to now, but...

I've seen a few military bloggers noting that as Ukraine has lost control of the flanks, the loss ratios are not as good for Ukraine. At some point, it may make sense for them to shoft resources, set-up ambushes, etc.

I have to think Ukraine believes that now is the time to press Wagner to not allow them to recover. I'm 100% sure Ukraine's logistics are better than the Russians.

[grantcart]

32. It's not about Bahkmut it's about enemy force reduction

This is Pickett's Charge all over. After failing to outflank Union lines Lee came to the conclusion that they had weakened the center to reinforce the flanks and put an all out assault on the center. They attacked at the best place for the Union to defend.

The Ukrainians are taking Russian attacks at the place they can inflict the most damage. They just need to restock ammo at an incredible rate. The Russians have over evaluated Bahkmut and are paying the price.

[Beastly Boy]

22. Ukraine is paying a terrible toll, but tying up Russia's best infantry in Bakhmut

leads to major battle victories elsewhere. I credit the decisive victory of Ukrainian forces over Russia in the biggest tank battle of the war around Vuhledar to insufficient support of Russia's armored forces by infantry. Despite appearances to the contrary, the two battles are very much connected.

[Model35mech]

27. It works both ways. It also concentrates Ukrainian forces and burns munitions

Bakmut really isn't much of a trophy. The highway from there leads to Dinipro, and is a less direct route by ground forces to Kiev than a drive thru Sumy.

It's true that the Ukrainians used fighting in Kherson and Donetsk to lever Russian forces.

But Russia has since committed substantial additions of less trained troops (cannon fodder) to Donetsk. Ukraine needs to be careful about being in an indefensible elongating pocket of death as escape from Bakhmut slips deeper and deeper along a path in easy artillery range from the east, north and south. With the major bridges falling, extraction of troops and heavy equipment is certain to become more and more difficult for the Ukrainian forces.

But yes, holding the Russians by the nose in a fight for Bakhmut does tie down some of the invading force but not many professional Russian forces.

Of course that must be put in perspective with what the Ukrainians are "really" trying to accomplish. Trading dead soldiers can't be that objective. Such exchange doesn't yield -any- advantage to Ukraine.

2-3 months ago western military experts were thinking the spring offensive by the Ukrainians would be a push toward the Azov sea across a front begining with a penetration from Zalizniche, and headed south to somewhere from Berdiansk or Yalta to Mariupol. The goal of that offensive would be to cut in half the land-bridge to Crimea, to deny western Russian forces much of their logistical access and to threaten a follow-on Ukrainian offensive from the Kherson region into Crimea. That would stress the Russians to withdraw from the area north of Crimea and greatly add to security of Odessa, Mykolaiv, and Kherson and probably non-Ukrainian but Russian occupied Moldova.

THOSE are reasonable military objectives to get Ukraine toward its goal. Attrition in the vicinity of Bakhmit IS NOT. They can just as well hold the nose of Russian forces with a slow, contested withdrawl.

[Beastly Boy]

29. The situation in Bakhmut IS a slow contested withdrawal.

At this time, infantry warfare supported by stationary artillery is the option that can be exercised on the ground. For the Russians, it involves heavy personnel losses. For Ukraine, defense of Bakhmut buys time. It is not necessarily driven by tactical concerns (other than the risk of complete encirclement of Ukrainian troops in Bakhmut). I will estimate a full withdrawal from Bakhmut to take place at the end of the "rasputitsa", the muddy Ukrainian Spring which makes quick mobility-driven heavy armor warfare impossible. No later than the end of March. I would further guess that the withdrawal from Bakhmut will coincide with a major counter-offensive, most likely aimed at isolating Crimea from the rest of the land mass occupied by Russia. Whether the thrust of this counter-offensive comes in the direction of Melitopol, Berdyansk or Mariupol, or even Nova Kakhovka to Armyansk, remains to be seen. In the mean time, the heavy concentration of Russia's armored forces around Vuhledar, has been destroyed.

Apparently, the Ukrainian high command has determined that holding on to Bakhmut for three more weeks is worth the sacrifice.

[yaesu]

24. I read an AP article yesterday about 2 Ukrainian pilots being trained in Arizona as a testbed for

training more and hopefully getting some of our F-16's flying over Ukraine

[Playingmantis]

26. See the movie Mr Jones

and see what those bastard Russians did to Ukraine under Stalin...some scenes are so horrible I cannot even repeat them..

[niyad]

30. Welcome to our DU family.

[Playingmantis]

39. Thank you

[grantcart]

31. Link?

[Playingmantis]

38. Link

Probably one of several places to watch the movie...

https://www.hulu.com/movie/mr-jones-c622d638-82ec-447f-9b64-24f8111980cf

[SunSeeker]

28. SLAVA UKRAINI! nt