(PresidentialHill.com)- Russian forces reportedly breached the eastern lines of Bakhmut in Ukraine’s Donetsk region, but experts view the move as largely symbolic.
The pro-Russian Telegram channel Rybar reported the breach days after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russian shelling had destroyed the city. Moscow annexed Donetsk in September.
The Washington-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW) confirmed that Russian forces had continued an offensive in the region but did not confirm or deny if the eastern outskirts had been breached. The ISW cited Rybar when saying Russian mercenaries from the Wagner Group took over Bakhmut Champagne Winery.
Reports show The Wagner Group is a paramilitary group formed in 2014 during the war in Donbas, eastern Ukraine, and Russia’s annexation of Crimea. A senior Pentagon official said Tuesday that intense fighting continues in the Donbas region as Russia tries to take Bakhmut. Donetsk and Luhansk constituted the Donbas before Russia’s annexation.
An official said Russia continues using missile and drone strikes against Ukraine’s energy grid and civilian infrastructure, killing civilians.
McGill University’s Maria Popova claimed Bakhmut isn’t strategic and the political significance of controlling Bakhmut is minor. Capturing a small, destroyed city after a long battle won’t indicate Russia’s war momentum. Russia can still lose ground.
Northwestern University’s political expert William Reno claimed that small advances could be considered tactical victories for Russia.
But the win comes at the cost of ammunition and personnel.
Chris Jensen, a political science professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, said that Putin and Prigozhin use state media to boost their status.
Don’t they all?
Jensen told the media that Europe is more unified than ever in seeing Russia as a threat. The enlargement of NATO with Finland and Sweden, increases in European military spending, and a rapid shift away from Russian oil and gas.
University of Michigan professor Javed Ali stated that the Ukrainians and the Russians had shown an ability to advance, hold territory, and then withdraw to regroup. Putin may tout Russian gains in Bakhmut as a sign of renewed campaign momentum.
We don’t know exactly what’s going on or who’s winning because everyone lies.
