One Year On: The Battle for Bakhmut Continues in Russia-Ukraine War
One year has passed since the start of the Russia-Ukraine war, and the battle for Bakhmut is still raging. On March 12, 2023 at 3:00 a.m.[0] EDT, the Ukrainian military reported heavy losses in the fight against the Russian forces.[1] The Russian defence ministry reported “more than 220 Ukrainian servicemen” killed over the past 24 hours.[2] Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky reported the death of “more than 1,100 enemy soldiers” in the Bakhmut sector alone in less than a week, between the 6th and 13th of March.[3]
President Zelensky has given Bakhmut political significance, and has made it a symbol of resistance for Ukraine.[4] Russian forces, reportedly largely made up of the Wagner Group, are closing in on Bakhmut and Kyiv fears that its fall would open the road to larger cities.[4] American military experts who recently visited Bakhmut have expressed concern that further defence may yield diminishing returns due to increasing Ukrainian casualties.[5]
Ukraine officials, however, say that the fall of Bakhmut could lead to further Russian advances in the east.[6] It is clear that the Russia-Ukraine war is still raging, and it is uncertain when the conflict will end.
0. “Russia's Wagner Troops Exhaust Ukrainian Forces in Bakhmut” The Wall Street Journal, 5 Mar. 2023, https://www.wsj.com/articles/russias-wagner-troops-exhaust-ukrainian-forces-in-bakhmut-b58e726c
1. “Ukraine war: Heavy losses reported as battle for Bakhmut rages” BBC, 13 Mar. 2023, https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-64935449
2. “Russia Suffers Major Losses in Bloody Bakhmut Weekend—Kyiv” Newsweek, 13 Mar. 2023, https://www.newsweek.com/russia-major-losses-bakhmut-battle-ukraine-1787230
3. “More than 1,100 enemy soldiers eliminated in Bakhmut sector since March 6” Ukrinform, 12 Mar. 2023, https://www.ukrinform.net/rubric-ato/3681530-more-than-1100-enemy-soldiers-eliminated-in-bakhmut-sector-since-march-6.html
4. “Bakhmut claims more casualties as Kyiv, Moscow fight for symbolic town” The Christian Science Monitor, 10 Mar. 2023, https://www.csmonitor.com/World/Europe/2023/0310/Bakhmut-battle-lays-bare-high-stakes-for-both-sides-in-Ukraine-war
5. “The state of the war’s various fronts” Meduza, 11 Mar. 2023, https://meduza.io/en/feature/2023/03/11/the-state-of-the-war-s-various-fronts
6. “Wagner mercenary chief demands more ammunition for Bakhmut battle” Al Jazeera English, 11 Mar. 2023, https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/3/11/wagner-says-russian-fighters-near-central-bakhmut-killing-zone
