2023-04-18 07:50:40
On Tuesday morning, Russian President Vladimir Putin made a surprise field visit to the southern front in the Kherson region. He also inspected the military reports related to this axis from the commander of the military forces and paratroopers in the Russian army, Colonel Mikhail Tablinsky.
A field visit to the Russian president, which coincided with the escalation of the eastern front in Bakhmut, which is about to fall completely into the hands of the Russian forces, according to the latest field developments; So what after the fall of the city that witnessed the longest period of time of battles between Moscow and Kiev?
What’s next for Bakhmut?
Over the past weeks, Russian forces have increased the pace of fighting on the eastern front in Bakhmut, and in the latest field reports, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced that the “Wagner” special military group had taken control of two areas in the center and northwest of the city, and confirmed that paratrooper units had repelled all Ukrainian attacks to secure an operation progress on the ground.
Regarding that front, which witnessed battles for nearly 8 continuous months, the Russian military expert, Shatilov Minikaev, says that the stage of the actual settlement of the Bakhmut battles is very close and imminent, expecting many Russian gains on the ground during the coming days, including:
- Further offensives were launched around the entire Donetsk region.
- A stepping stone to the two larger cities of Kramatorsk and Sloviansk and pushing the front line deeper into Ukraine.
- Securing the supply process for the Russian forces on the entire eastern axis.
- The dispersal of Ukrainian forces on the southern front also in the vicinity of Kherson.
And the Russian military expert believes, during his statements to “Sky News Arabia”, that Putin’s visit to the southern front and seeing the progress of the battles is evidence that the process of settling and strengthening that front will be Russia’s next goal after Bakhmut to secure the regions that were annexed by a popular referendum to Russia.
Shatilov Minikaev ruled out the ability of the Kiev forces to launch a counterattack on the southern front, especially after the loss of Bakhmut in the east, which also cost the Ukrainian army heavy losses, and was a fundamental point of contention between Zelensky and his Western allies and Washington.
The battle of Bakhmut in Donetsk province continued for months, while the Ukrainian army decided to continue fighting despite successive indications that were not in its favor on the field, according to the American “Newsweek” magazine.
Fight to the end
Bakhmut raised great tension between the Ukrainian military leadership and Kiev’s allies as well, according to Mosienko Matuzov, a military specialist at the Ukrainian National Institute for Strategic Studies.
Musiyenko-Matuzov added, during his statements to “Sky News Arabia”, that the fighting is still continuing until the end despite the Russian advance, noting that the city center and the western side are strongly fortified as a result of a group of hills other than the muddy ground after the end of winter, which helped to greatly disrupt the Russians. and prevented them from encircling the city and encircling it.
He believes that, despite the imminent loss of Bakhmut, Kiev achieved gains from that battle, which has the longest period of time in the war, which entered its second year, most notably:
- Complete exhaustion of the Russian forces and the “Wagner” group in that battle, whether human or military.
- The emergence of the strength of Kiev’s defenses and administration for a long-term battle thanks to intensive training and Western support.
- Exploiting the time to strengthen and stabilize the defenses of the southern front as well to start the spring offensive.
The founder of the Wagner Group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, said a few days ago that about 80 percent of Bakhmut, including all administrative centers and factories, is under the control of Russian units.
Before Prigozhin’s statement, the Ukrainian General Staff said, “The enemy has not stopped attacking Bakhmut, and the Ukrainian defenders are holding on to the city while repelling many attacks.
1681809283
#Putin #visits #southern #front. #Wagner #preparing #encircle #eastern #Ukraine