Russia has launched a scorched-earth operation to capture Bahmut, a fiercely contested battleground in eastern Ukraine, the Ukrainian military said on Wednesday.
According to the New York Times (NYT) on the same day, Ukrainian Ground Forces Commander Oleksandr Shirsky diagnosed “the situation is difficult but still under control” after visiting Bahmut the day before.
He said, “The Red Army (referring to the Russian Army) has switched (operation) to so-called scorched earth tactics, just as it did in Syria,” and “through air strikes and shelling, they are destroying buildings and positions our troops are guarding.”
Operation scorched earth is a tactic used by Russia in 2016 when it intervened to support government forces during the Syrian civil war. At that time, Russia turned the tide of the civil war in favor of the government forces with airstrikes that mobilized thousands of troops and bombers.
Commander Shirski insisted that Russia would now use special forces and airborne troops to fight in Bakhmut. This is because the power of the Wagner Group, a private mercenary company that led Russia’s offensive to occupy Bahmut, has been exhausted.
Currently, fierce battles are going on in Bahmut over control of buildings in each district. The head of the Wagner Group, Yevgeny Prigozin, announced on the 2nd that he had occupied Bakhmut City Hall and raised the Russian flag.
Russian forces have the upper hand, but appear to be advancing slowly into Ukraine. Ukrainian forces are holding back Russian forces by cutting off some supply lines.
The two countries have been fighting fiercely over two main roads (T504 and 506) serving as supply lines outside of Bahmut, but Ukrainian forces have barely thwarted Russian attempts to capture the road. According to recently leaked Pentagon security documents, the Ukrainian command decided to strengthen its road defenses.
Meanwhile, Prigozhin argued that Ukraine could send up to 400,000 troops to the battlefield for a counteroffensive this spring.
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.