The city of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine has been the site of the longest and bloodiest battle since Russia invaded its neighbor over a year ago. Ukrainian forces have been holding their positions in the devastated city, despite constant attacks from Russian troops. Russia claims that seizing Bakhmut would put them on a path to securing full control of the Donbas industrial region, one of their main objectives. However, Ukraine insists that the city has limited strategic value and has put up a fierce resistance.
Currently, only 4,500 people remain in the city, which once had a population of 70,000. The General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces reported that Russian troops were attempting to advance on Bakhmut without interruption. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that his forces are keeping each sector of the front under control.
Not everyone in Ukraine is confident that they can continue to defend the city. Ukrainian Member of Parliament Serhiy Rakhmanin said on Ukrainian NV radio that they will eventually have to leave Bakhmut, but for the moment they should inflict as many Russian losses as possible and make them use their ammunition and resources. He also said that lines of defense should not be allowed to collapse and that an organized retreat is preferable to simple flight.
The Institute for the Study of War, a US-based think tank, reported that Russian forces were advancing within Bakhmut. Ukrainian officials have said that they have the option to conduct a controlled withdrawal from Bakhmut if they see fit. In addition to Bakhmut, Russian forces are also preparing for new attacks in the central Zaporizhia region and in the Kherson region on the southern front.
March 1st marks the start of spring in Ukraine and Russia, and already frozen ground has melted at the front. This season of mud has been notorious in military history for destroying attacking armies. President Zelenskyy praised Ukrainians for surviving a winter marked by systematic Russian attacks on energy facilities. He said that although the threat to the energy system remains, work is being done to ensure it keeps functioning. Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba also hailed the first day of spring as another major defeat for Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Russia has tried to justify their invasion by saying it was necessary to eliminate security threats, but Ukraine has moved closer to Western Europe since gaining independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. As the battle for Bakhmut continues, it remains to be seen whether or not Ukraine will be able to hold their positions and protect their citizens from further Russian aggression.