James Rundale (Kew)、Laura Godge (London) BBC News
image provided, Archyde.com
Bakhmut has lost 95% of its population since the beginning of the Russian invasion
Russian and Ukrainian armies are fighting a street battle on the Bakhmut front in eastern Ukraine. According to the city’s deputy mayor, Oleksandr Marchenko, Russia does not control the city.
Marchenko told the BBC radio program Today that 4,000 civilians remained in the city, living in shelters without gas, electricity or running water. The population before the invasion was about 75,000.
In Bahmut, “not a single building” was unaffected by the fighting, and the city was “almost destroyed”.
The city has been under attack for months by Russian forces attempting to occupy it. Capturing Bakhmut would be one of Russia’s few battlefield successes in recent months. However, the city’s strategic value has been questioned.
Some experts say that any Russian military victory could cost more than it pays off.
Thousands of Russian soldiers are said to have lost their lives fighting over Bakhmut. Ukrainian commanders estimate Russian casualties to be seven times higher than Ukrainian casualties.
The British Ministry of Defense on the 4thsaid Russia’s advance north of Bakhmut had left the three remaining Ukrainian sides vulnerable to attack.
Against this backdrop, Marchenko accused Russia of having “no goal” to rescue Bakhmut and of intent on “genocide of Ukrainians”.
“There is currently no communication in the city. Cities are cut off, bridges are destroyed, and Russia is using tactics to dry up the land.”
The fall of Bahmut has long been predicted, but has not happened for six months. Reports of a possible withdrawal of Ukrainian troops should therefore be treated with caution.
Without an independent source of information, it’s hard to know what’s really going on. Rather than providing accurate information, both sides have a greater advantage in allowing the other to observe.
But the Ukrainian command may be beginning to calculate that the costs of defending Bakhmut, both in lives and money, are too high, despite the heavy casualties it inflicted on Russian forces.
Ukraine may then seek what Western analysts call a “controlled combat withdrawal” to protect and redeploy remaining troops.
However, any withdrawal will require fierce fighting and some time.
“We believe that not an inch of our territory should be handed over to the enemy,” Marchenko said. He “should protect the territory, protect the people, and protect the business rooted in this land.”
“Russian forces are trying to destroy Bakhmut like Mariupol and Popasna,” he said.
Russia occupied the eastern port city of Mariupol last May after a three-month heavy bombardment. The Battle of Mariupol resulted in heavy casualties.
image provided, Archyde.com
Destroyed eastern Mariupol hospital in March 2022
In January of this year, it declared that it had captured Soledar, about 10 kilometers from Bahmut. Soledar, too, was reportedly a wasteland of collapsed buildings when Ukrainian troops withdrew.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Thursday that more shells and weapons were needed to “stop Russia”.
