Bakhmut on the brink as Ukraine signals retreat

The Hill ^ | March 2, 2023 | Brad Dress

[Trump20162020]

Ukrainian officials are signaling a potential retreat from the embattled town of Bakhmut.

A top Ukrainian presidential adviser hinted at a potential withdrawal on Tuesday, telling CNN that Kyiv was weighing the costs and benefits of holding the city.

“So far they’ve held the city, but if need be, they will strategically pull back because we’re not going to sacrifice all of our people just for nothing,” said Alexander Rodnyansky.

[crz]

Well I suppose. Since in the videos I have seen from independent sources, there isnt much of anything left of the place they might as well.

As independent sources I can find that is.

[Firehath]

the hill

liberalism

wants to die on

[House Atreides]

I think the Russians would not be unhappy should the Ukrainians decide to stay in the city. But if the Ukrainians withdraw, the MEAT-GRINDERS will simply be relocated to follow them.

[Right_Wing_Madman]

I wonder if the US State Department will recognize Ukraine's exiled government in Miami Beach. I say it will.

[budj]

Checking some of the pictures, there doesn’t seem to be much left to “hold on” to.

[Phoenix8]

I wonder how much they will lose in the pull out? They might get a lot of their men, light weapons and vehicles. Yet how many tons of food, bottled water, medical supplies, equipment and especially ammo will they leave?

Correct me if I’m wrong but Zelinsky was still sending in supplies and reinforcements just days ago.

Finally when Ukraine forces do flee how much fire will they take on those roads that remain? The 2 (i know of) are within 1-2 kilometers of Russian lines or less in some places.

Supposedly there is a video that shows Ukrainian attack helicopters flying over the roads to prevent Russian infantry from getting close to them.
Its maddening how our MSM blocks videos like this but here is ONE small clip I managed to find that shows this action from the last day or so…Notice you can see the Ukrainian attack copters firing some sort of missiles down on woods to keep Russian soldiers from advancing (also heat flares).

https://youtube.com/clip/Ugkx2HjVgHjPOg9JaV1y80JB8fACFhLCbFah

[Right_Wing_Madman]

I wonder how much they will lose in the pull out?

The problem is that the Russians control all roads to Bakhmut. Any vehicle that departs Bakhmut will be destroyed by a Russian anti-tank missile. For the Ukrainian army, there aren't many remaining in Bakhmut - perhaps 3,000. At peak defense, Bakhmut may have had 15,000 Ukrainian soldiers, but most of them have been killed. The remaining Ukrainians will become POWs.

[A strike]

Were are Denys and revMom?

[A strike]

“How many tons of food, bottled water, medical supplies, equipment,and especially ammo will they leave?”

Not to worry, XiaoBidementia and MissMilley have it covered.

[montag813]

So where will the next major prolonged confrontation be?

PREDICTIONS?

[EQAndyBuzz]

“So where will the next major prolonged confrontation be?”

This is it. Russia will take the city, claim a major victory and declare a ceasefire. The price Ukraine will pay for peace will be Bakhmut. Plus it would appear that everyone got paid off, the big guy got his 10% and no further weapons will be shipped.

The new funding will come in the form of rebuilding Ukraine, where everyone will get to skim another 10%.

[Travis McGee]

Exactly.

[Tom Tetroxide]

This news of the fall of Bakhmut is driving the Russia haters here on FR crazy. Who ever here makes any posts that shows the reality of Russia winning will be considered a Putin Puppet(TM) and will subject to the their wrath.

With the promise by NATO of making the Ukraine a member, it will only motivate the Russians more to win this war. If they do win it they’ll certainly de-Nazify it and won’t be kind to any Ukrainians who are occidentalists.

[Cronos]

it's been 7months and the defeat isn't there, yet (yes, it may be soon, but it ain't there yet)

Secondly, Wagner has been wiped out and they were supported by the Russian military, who are now the key force in Bakhmut - as Wagner has been destroyed

It took Russia from August, last year, until late February 2023 (roughly 6 months) to take a small town like Bakhmut (prewar pop. 70,000). Next in line are the far larger cities of Sloviansk (prewar pop. 111,000 and Kramatorsk (prewar pop. 157,000). If it took Russia six months to capture Bakhmut, each city of Sloviansk and Kramatorsk (with far larger defensive lines) will take even longer.

Since the 2014 limited Russian invasion, Ukraine has been preparing their main defensive line on a ridge that goes from Chasiv Yar to Slovyansk. Those fortifications put Bakhmut to shame in fact, the town was never an important part of Ukrainian defensive lines. Ukrainians defended it, because it was defensible and because Russians consented to throw wave upon wave of men at the highly defendable position. It is certain in this battle Russians suffered more irrecoverable losses, dead and wounded (no longer suitable for service), than the pre-war the population of Bakhmut. It is possible their dead alone outnumber the pre-war population of Bakhmut even, they certainly had more killed than pre-war adult male population of Bakhmut (~20,000). Ukrainians suffered between one fifth and one quarter as many dead and wounded, with proportionally more wounded than dead compared to Russians and more of their wounds being treatable. They defended a city with good connections to their rear and recieve medical assistance from NATO. Wagner in particular often doesn’t even collect their wounded and just leaves them to die.

Bakhmut (Бахмýт) is in the lowlands and could be attacked from hills. The next defensive line goes north from Chasiv Yar along the ridge and needs to be attacked from the lowlands. The lowlands to the north of the ridge are a combination of forest and swamp, suitable for delaying and defensive warfare and outright hostile for attackers. Bakhmut really was was the easy part of the battle, after it comes the real challenge and I mean this quite unironically. It’s only after taking the easy target of Bakhmut when Russians face the real challenge of taking all of Donbass.

[House Atreides]

“ I wonder how much they will lose in the pull out? They might get a lot of their men, light weapons and vehicles. Yet how many tons of food, bottled water, medical supplies, equipment and especially ammo will they leave?”
*****************************************************************

Well, from the latest reports I’m seeing that the Ukrainians are blowing up numerous bridges within the city. As for the manner of withdrawing, I suspect the final stage will be similar to the Ukrainian withdrawal from Lysychansk. I recall seeing video of the Ukrainian troops running from the town along tree lines in organized single file carrying their individual weapons. It wasn’t a panicky pell-mell hysterical fleeing but was done with great urgency with the NCOs and officers yelling “keep moving”, “faster”, etc. Of course all heavy equipment and remaining supplies were abandoned and left behind in Lysychansk.

[MinorityRepublican]

🇷🇺 has continued to advance west from Berkhivka and Yahidne

[13foxtrot]

They already pulled out, just a light-infantry rear guard remains.

I watched a podcast that interviews a foreign fighter who gave a sobering report. This is what he said would happen and it seems to have happened.

He also expressed much frustration with the incompetent leadership of the UA — wasting lives of soldiers vs. spending lives was a major theme.

It was Willy OAM interviewing SoldierX. Soldier X seems fairly credible since I watched him before and much of what he said or predicted came true. It is clear Soldier X is professional soldier, probably an career officer working/advising UA command staff.
https://youtu.be/hte3AijCqBg

[Tom Tetroxide]

The Ukrainians are sayin they wiped out a bunch of Wagner PMCs. Has anyone outside of the Ukraine been able to confirm that? If not, then it’s just another lie among many they have told the world.

[Cronos]

Prighozin also says that in the way he complained about lack of support from the Russian army a month ago. And how the attacking force in the past month or so has been Russian military.

The Wagner nazis are nearly wiped out