The Ukrainian military is said to have deployed tens of thousands of additional troops to detain Bachmut. Meanwhile, the Russian military is gradually gaining a foothold in the small but strategically valuable city. According to Hammelburg, Zelensky adheres to a doctrine that has since emerged about this battle: “He realizes he has little chance of winning this battle, but he wants to inflict as much damage on the Russians as possible.” It’s an effective strategy so far, but at the cost of a huge amount of Ukrainians and equipment. “It’s a bizarre way to fight, especially when you know how it’s going to end.”
Is it therefore likely that the Ukrainian army will eventually withdraw? According to Geert Jan Hahn, currently in Kiev, there is no clear answer to this. “Initially, the answer is diplomatic, meaning that the military decides on these kinds of issues.” But it is also said that the Ukrainians are now “hunting down hundreds of terrorists a day, who have crept into the country like cockroaches”. The goal is therefore to eliminate as many Russians as possible, to prevent them from being deployed on another front. This is a strategy that also causes many deaths on the Ukrainian side.
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Prestige battle
Can the Battle of Bachmoet be labeled a battle for prestige? According to Hammelburg, Zelensky is not so much for the honor, but rather for the fact that he truly believes in Bachmut’s strategic value. His goal is to kill as many “terrorists” as possible. President Biden has previously criticized this tactic. “He Emphasizes that it is far more important to save the manpower and later use it in a spring offensive.” For now, Zelensky isn’t heeding Biden’s advice.
“I think the possibility that the United States is behind the explosions on Russian territory is much higher.”
Mysterious explosions
In addition to the battle of Bachmut, there are also unrest in the Russian area, now that mysterious explosions in Mariupol and the Crimea seem to be happening more and more often. The Ukrainian military has not commented on possible involvement in these attacks. According to Hammelburg, this is simply a diplomatic way of avoiding the issue. ‘There is discussion from American sources that the US has long since switched to longer guns. This means they have guns accurate to the meter, much more so than if you were using a drone. It seems plausible to me.”