The besieged eastern city is a crumpled, skeletal wreck. But Ukraine knows losing it could be costly.
By Jonathan BealeIn a bunker just outside the city limits of Bakhmut, Ukraine's 77th Brigade direct artillery fire to support their infantry - their last line of defence on the western edge of the city.But the live video feed the artillery gunners watch intently, from a drone flying above the city, suggests that even if Russia can finally wrestle control, it would be little more than a pyrrhic victory.
The plumes of smoke still hang heavy over the besieged city, accompanied by the relentless rumble of artillery fire. I ask if they're Wagner soldiers - the Russian paramilitary force which has been leading the assault. "Yes," replies Myroslav, one of the Ukrainian troops staring at the screen.He adds that they don't seem to have much artillery support and they just advance in the hope that they'll be "luckier than the last time". His comrade, Mykola, interjects: "They just walk towards us, they must be on drugs.
To the south of the city, Ukraine's 28th Brigade has been helping prevent Bakhmut from being encircled. The arrival of spring has provided them with some leaves for cover, but many of the trees have been stripped by the constant shelling.As we run from a trench, across exposed ground pock-marked by shell holes, the Russians open fire with their mortars. "That was pretty damn close," says Yevhen in perfect English as we reach some cover.Minutes later his men follow up with a volley of small arms fire and rocket-propelled grenades . There are no casualties this time.
Ukraine's hope is that the fight over Bakhmut has blunted Russia's ability to conduct its own offensive operations, and exhausted its army and supplies.In a bunker just outside the city limits, Ukraine's 77th Brigade direct artillery fire to support their infantryRecent satellite images of the occupied south show it has built hundreds of miles of deep trench lines and dragon's teeth tank traps to slow down any attempted advance.
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