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Battle of Bakhmut

Coordinates: 48°35′42″N 38°00′00″E / 48.5950°N 38.0000°E / 48.5950; 38.0000
From Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Battle of Bakhmut
Part of the eastern Ukraine warfare's Battle of Donbas in the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
Battle of Bakhmut
No man's land in the outskirts of Bakhmut
Date1 August 2022 – 21 May 2023
(2 years, 3 months, 1 week and 4 days)
Location
Bakhmut, Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine

48°35′42″N 38°00′00″E / 48.5950°N 38.0000°E / 48.5950; 38.0000
Result Russian victory
Belligerents
Wagner Group
Commanders and leaders

Russia Aleksey Nagin †[1]

Yevgeny Prigozhin		 Ukraine Oleksandr Tarnavskiy[2]
Ukraine Yurii Bereza[3]
Ukraine Andriy Mikheichenko[4]
Units involved
PMC Wagner[5]
 Russian Armed Forces
Donetsk People's RepublicDonetsk People's Militia[6]		  Ukrainian Armed Forces
Casualties and losses
Unknown, thought to be a lot. 60,000 dead/wounded - Ukr est.[7] Unknown, thought to be a lot. [8]
125+ civilians killed

The Battle of Bakhmut is an ongoing series of battles in and near the city of Bakhmut. It is being fought between the Ukrainian Armed Forces and the Russian Armed Forces. It is part of the Battle of Donbas. Shelling of Bakhmut started in May 2022. The main attack on the city started on 1 August. It started after Russian soldiers moved in from Popasna after the Ukrainians left the city.[9] The main attack force is mostly made of mercenaries from the Russian paramilitary organization Wagner Group. The attack force also has regular Russian troops and DPR and LPR separatist soldiers.[6][10][5]

As of late 2022, the Bakhmut front became the center of the war. It is one of the few front lines in Ukraine where Russia stayed on the attack.[11] Attacks on the city grew stronger in November 2022. Attacking Russian forces were made stronger by units from the Kherson front and newly mobilized recruits.[12][13] By this time, much of the fighting on the front line became trench warfare. Both sides have taken many casualties.[14]

Background

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Apartment building in Bakhmut after a Russian bombing. The city has been under bombardment since May 2022.[15]

Bakhmut was where the 2014 battle of Artemivsk was fought. This battle was fought between Ukraine and the separatist Donetsk People's Republic. Pro-Russian separatists had taken parts of the city during the 2014 pro-Russian unrest in Ukraine. A Ukrainian special forces unit and the National Guard were sent to get rid of the separatists from the city. The separatists were sent to the city's outskirts. Small battles continued until July 2014, when the separatists retreated from the area.[16]

During the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, a main Russian goal was to take the Donbas region. This region is made of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts. The first attack to Bakhmut was done to encircle the Ukrainian soldiers at the Sievierodonetsk-Lysychansk salient. With another push from the Lyman direction, this would create a pocket and trap Ukrainian forces there.[17] After the battles of Sievierodonetsk and Lysychansk in early July, Russian and separatist forces took all of Luhansk Oblast. The battlefield turned towards the cities of Sloviansk, Bakhmut, and Soledar.

Starting on 17 May, Russian forces began bombarding Bakhmut. This killed five people including a two-year-old child.[18][19] After the fall of Popasna on 22 May, Ukrainian forces left the city to help soldiers at Bakhmut.[9] Meanwhile, Russian forces moved forward on the Bakhmut-Lysychansk highway. This put the remaining Ukrainian troops in the Lysychansk-Sievierodonetsk area in danger.[20][21] The Russian checkpoint on the highway was later destroyed. Fighting continued on 30 May on the Kostiantynivka-Bakhmut highway. Ukrainian forces were able to defend the highway.[22][23]

Bombardment of Bakhmut continued throughout the rest of June and July.[24] On 25 July, Ukrainian forces left the Vuhlehirska Power Station and the nearby town of Novoluhanske.[25] Two days later on 27 July, Russian bombardment of Bakhmut killed three civilians and wounded three more.[26][27]

Battle

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August–October 2022

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On 1 August, Russian forces attacked many settlements south and southeast of Bakhmut. Both the Russian Ministry of Defense and pro-Russian Telegram pages said that the battle of Bakhmut had started.[28][29] The next day, Ukraine said that Russian soldiers had increased airstrikes and bombardment of Bakhmut. They started a ground attack on the southeastern part of the city.[30] On 4 August, Wagner Group mercenaries got through Ukrainian defenses. They got to Patrice Lumumba Street on the eastern outskirts of Bakhmut.[31] Russian forces continued to move towards Bakhmut from the south. The Ukrainian general staff said on 14 August that Russian forces had "partial success" near Bakhmut.[32]

Night bombardment in the city center on 21 September burned the Martynov Palace of Culture. This was where the humanitarian headquarters was. The local fire department was also bombarded as they put out the fire. It reported that two SES staff were injured and equipment was damaged.[33] At night, a five-story building was damaged by Russian bombardment.[34][35] A Russian missile strike destroyed the main bridge across the Bakhmutka river on 22 September. This delayed civilian travel and Ukrainian military logistics.[36]

On 7 October, Russian forces moved into the villages of Zaitseve and Opytne on the southern and southeastern outskirts of Bakhmut. On 10 October, the UK Defence Ministry said that Russian soldiers moved closer to Bakhmut.[37][38] On 12 October, Russian soldiers said that they took Opytne and Ivanhrad, although these towns were still contested.[39] Ukrainian sources said a minor counteroffensive on 24 October moved Russian forces from some factories on the eastern outskirts of the city.[40]

November 2022–present

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Ukrainian soldier in a trench near Bakhmut, November 2022

By early November, much of the fighting near Bakhmut had became trench warfare. Neither side was able to move very far and hundreds of casualties were reported daily.[41][14]

Russian soldiers captured the villages of Andriivka, Ozarianivka, and Zelenopillia. They moved forward through Opytne from 28–29 November.[42][43] Wagner Group soldiers attacked Kurdyumivka, next to Ozarianivka.[44] Russian soldiers also attacked Ukrainian soldiers southeast of Bakhmut.[45][46] The same day, a Georgia military volunteer told the media that a group of Georgian volunteers had been surrounded during fighting near Bakhmut. The commander was wounded and five or six volunteers had been killed.[47] On 6–7 December, the Russian defense ministry said that their soldiers had defeated Ukrainian counterattacks south of Bakhmut.[48] The commander of the Ukraine National Guard's Svoboda Battalion said they were "fighting for every bush" and predicted Russia would struggle to go past a canal above and behind Kudriumivka.[49]

On 9 December, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Russia was "destroying" Bakhmut. He called Bakhmut "another Donbas city that the Russian army turned into burnt ruins." Former soldier and eyewitness to the battle Petro Stone said the Bakhmut front is a "meat grinder".[50]

Attack on Zabakhmutka district

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A Ukrainian 9K22 Tunguska of the 30th Mechanized Brigade, December 2022

On 11–13 December, Russian sources said that Wagner Group soldiers had broke through defenses in east Bakhmut. They took the northern part of Fyodor Maksimenko Street in Zabakhmutka district.[49] They moved along Patrice Lumumba Street in Bakhmut's industrial zone. They took the Siniat ALC factory and sparkling wine/"artwinery" factory. Wagner took Pidhorodne and made small moves towards Bakhmut from the south.[51][52] On 11 December a railway bridge over the E40 (M-03) highway north of Bakhmut was destroyed. The Russians said the Ukrainians destroyed it to stop or delay future Russian moves towards Sloviansk.[53][54][55]

By 13 December, Russian sources said that urban fighting had started in the eastern and southeastern parts of Bakhmut. They also said that 90% of Opytne had been taken. The Ukrainian General Staff said that they defeated Russian attacks northeast and south of Bakhmut from Soledar and Kurdiumivka, respectively.[56][57][58][59][60] On 17 December, footage emerged online of trenches in Bakhmut's city center, indicating Ukrainian defenders were preparing for urban combat.[61] On 18–19 December, Ukrainian forces counter-attacked on Fyodor Maksimenko Street and pushed Wagner Group soldiers back to the eastern outskirts of the suburban area. Soldiers on the ground were supported by Wolfhound (picture) armored personnel carriers; Those vehicles are a gift from Great Britain.

Ukrainian authorities said that they pushed back "five to seven" Russian attacks near Bakhmut daily.[62][63]

On 20–21 December, President Zelenskyy made a visit to the Bakhmut front. There he met with soldiers, gave out medals, and gave speeches.[64] Meanwhile, bombardment and fighting on Bakhmut's outskirts continued.[65][66] Russian forces kept trying to break Ukrainian positions on the city's flanks. On 26 December, Governor of Donetsk Oblast Pavlo Kyrylenko said over 60 percent of Bakhmut's infrastructure was damaged or destroyed.[67]

Nancy Pelosi unfolding a Ukrainian flag from the Battle of Bakhmut, at the end of Zelenskyy's speech in the United States Capitol, in December 2022

References

[change | change source]
  1. ↑ Bickerton, James (2022-09-30). "Russian Wagner commander killed in Ukraine's Donbas". Newsweek. Archived from the original on 13 October 2022. Retrieved 2022-10-02.
  2. ↑ "The Fight to Survive Russia's Onslaught in Eastern Ukraine". The New Yorker. 7 June 2022. Archived from the original on 2 October 2022. Retrieved 16 August 2022.
  3. ↑ Gibbons-Neff, Thomas; Yermak, Natalia; Hicks, Tyler (2022-09-26). "Two Cities, Two Armies: Pivot Points in the Fight in Ukraine's East". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 13 October 2022. Retrieved 2022-10-02.
  4. ↑ Gall, Carlotta (12 November 2022). "Ukraine Signals It Will Stay on the Offensive, Despite Talk of a Lull". The New York Times.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Higgins, Andrew; Bigg, Matthew Mpoke (2022-11-06). "Russia Looks to Private Militia to Secure a Victory in Eastern Ukraine". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-11-29.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 David Axe (25 October 2022). "A Fierce Ukrainian Mechanized Brigade Is Routing Russian Mercenaries In One Symbolic Eastern Town". Forbes.
  7. ↑ "Day 301 December 21st summary of Arestovych and Feygin daily broadcast" War Tralsnated.com https://wartranslated.com/day-301-december-21st-summary-of-arestovych-and-feygin-daily-broadcast/ Archived 2023-01-30 at the Wayback Machine
  8. ↑ "'Russia Inflicts Heavy Losses on Ukraine' as Battle of Bakhmut Rages—Report". Newsweek.[permanent dead link]
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 RUSSIAN OFFENSIVE CAMPAIGN ASSESSMENT, 22 MAY, ISW, archived from the original on 23 May 2022, retrieved 27 May 2022
  10. ↑ Landry, Carole (2022-11-28). "Russia's Battle for Bakhmut". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-12-02.
  11. ↑ Brown, Chris (1 December 2022). "Why the battle for the small city of Bakhmut is so important to both Russia and Ukraine". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 3 December 2022.
  12. ↑ Gibbons-Neff, Thomas; Yermak, Natalia; Hicks, Tyler (2022-11-27). "In Ukraine, Bakhmut Becomes a Bloody Vortex for 2 Militaries". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-11-29.
  13. ↑ Vasilyeva, Nataliya (2022-11-17). "Heavy fighting in eastern Ukraine raises fears Moscow is reinforcing new epicentre of war". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2022-11-18.
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 "Fighting in Ukraine descends into trench warfare as Russia looks to break through". The Guardian. 28 November 2022.
  15. ↑ "In Ukraine's Bakhmut, war is never far away". France24. 12 July 2022. Archived from the original on 15 August 2022. Retrieved 23 August 2022.
  16. ↑ "7 лет свободы Бахмута. В этой интерактивной хронике все, что пережил город во время оккупации". Свої.City (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 2022-12-21.
  17. ↑ Axe, David. "Russia Is Wasting Its Last Good Troops In A Pointless Attack On A Worthless Town". Forbes. Retrieved 2022-12-21.
  18. ↑ "Від Вугледара до Бахмута. Росія сьогодні масовано обстрілює Донецьку область" [From Vugledar to Bakhmut. Today, Russia is massively shelling the Donetsk region]. РБК-Україна. 2022-05-17. Archived from the original on 17 May 2022. Retrieved 27 May 2022.
  19. ↑ "Кількість жертв обстрілу будинку у Бахмуті зросла до п'яти, серед них дворічна дитина" [The number of victims of the shelling of a house in Bakhmut has increased to five, including a two-year-old child]. Укрінформ. 2022-05-18. Archived from the original on 19 May 2022. Retrieved 27 May 2022.
  20. ↑ "Траса Бахмут-Лисичанськ опинилася під обстрілом ворога" [The Bakhmut-Lysychansk route came under enemy fire]. Мілітарний. 2022-05-24. Archived from the original on 24 May 2022. Retrieved 27 May 2022.
  21. ↑ "Окупанти прорвали українську оборону в районі Попасної" [The occupiers broke through Ukrainian defenses in the Popasnaya area]. Ukrainian Military Pages. 2022-05-25. Archived from the original on 25 May 2022. Retrieved 27 May 2022.
  22. ↑ "Ukrajinske trupe brane vitalni put na istoku" [Ukrainian troops are defending a vital road in the east] (in Bosnian). Free Europe. 2022-05-30. Archived from the original on 2 October 2022. Retrieved 17 June 2022.
  23. ↑ "ЗСУ ліквідували ворожий блокпост на трасі з Бахмута до Лисичанська" [The Armed Forces eliminated the enemy checkpoint on the road from Bakhmut to Lysychansk]. Букви. 2022-05-26. Archived from the original on 2 October 2022. Retrieved 27 May 2022.
  24. ↑ "Russians trying to improve tactical position in Bakhmut direction". Ukrinform. 2022-06-16. Archived from the original on 2 October 2022. Retrieved 17 June 2022.
  25. ↑ "Russians prepare offensive on Siversk, Soledar – General Staff". 26 July 2022. Archived from the original on 2 October 2022. Retrieved 3 August 2022.
  26. ↑ "New photos show heartbreaking destruction in Bakhmut, Ukraine". 28 July 2022. Archived from the original on 2 October 2022. Retrieved 3 August 2022.
  27. ↑ "27 July 2022 Russia-Ukraine news". 28 July 2022. Archived from the original on 3 August 2022. Retrieved 3 August 2022.
  28. ↑ "Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, 1 August". Critical threats. 1 August 2022. Archived from the original on 22 August 2022. Retrieved 3 August 2022.
  29. ↑ "1 August 2022 Russia-Ukraine news". CNN. 2 August 2022. Archived from the original on 4 August 2022. Retrieved 4 August 2022.
  30. ↑ "Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, 2 August". Critical threats. 2 August 2022. Archived from the original on 2 October 2022. Retrieved 3 August 2022.
  31. ↑ "The Wagner PMC, supported by Russian artillery, was able to break through to Patrice Lumumba Street in Bakhmut from the eastern side. Insider reports that an AFU roadblock was destroyed in the – XUA-фото войны". 4 August 2022. Archived from the original on 4 August 2022. Retrieved 4 August 2022.
  32. ↑ "Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, 14 August". The Institute for the Study of War. 14 August 2022. Archived from the original on 25 August 2022. Retrieved 15 August 2022.
  33. ↑ "В Бахмуті палає найстаріший палац культури, пошкоджена будівля ДСНС та немає води. Наслідки обстрілів на 8 вересня (ФОТО, ВІДЕО)" [In Bakhmut, the oldest palace of culture is on fire, the building of the State Emergency Service is damaged and there is no water. Consequences of shelling on 8 September (PHOTOS, VIDEO)]. Вільне радіо. 2022-09-08. Archived from the original on 21 September 2022. Retrieved 2022-09-18.
  34. ↑ "У Бахмуті під завалами будинку знайшли тіло загиблого" [In Bakhmut, the body of the deceased was found under the rubble of a house]. Українська правда (in Ukrainian). Archived from the original on 20 September 2022. Retrieved 2022-09-18.
  35. ↑ Суспільне (2022-09-15). "З-під завалів зруйнованого будинку в Бахмуті рятувальники витягнули чоловіка. Рятувальні роботи продовжуються" [Rescuers pulled a man out from under the rubble of a destroyed house in Bakhmut. Rescue operations continue]. Суспільне | Новини. Суспільне. Archived from the original on 20 September 2022. Retrieved 18 September 2022.
  36. ↑ "Russian occupiers destroy bridge that bisects Bakhmut". Ukrainske Pravda. 22 September 2022. Retrieved 27 December 2022.
  37. ↑ "Ukraine battles Russian advance in key town of Bakhmut". Archived from the original on 13 October 2022. Retrieved 10 October 2022.
  38. ↑ "Russian troops moving closer to the eastern Ukrainian town of Bakhmut, UK says". Reuters. 10 October 2022. Archived from the original on 13 October 2022. Retrieved 10 October 2022.
  39. ↑ "Fighter of 128th brigade Mykhailo Pokydchenko killed in Opytne area. PHOTO". Censor.NET. 2016-12-06. Retrieved 2019-01-14.
  40. ↑ "A Fierce Ukrainian Mechanized Brigade Is Routing Russian Mercenaries In One Symbolic Eastern Town". Forbes. 25 October 2022.
  41. ↑ "WWI near Bakhmut, Ukraine waits for long-range shells, new Russian strikes expected. What happened on the front line on 28 November?". The Insider. 29 November 2022. Retrieved 1 December 2022.
  42. ↑ "RUSSIAN OFFENSIVE CAMPAIGN ASSESSMENT, 29 NOVEMBER". ISW. Russian milbloggers reiterated claims that Russian forces advanced southwest of Bakhmut, taking Andriivka, Ozarianivka, and Zelenopillia (13km south of Bakhmut)
  43. ↑ "RUSSIAN OFFENSIVE CAMPAIGN ASSESSMENT, 29 NOVEMBER". ISW. A Russian milblogger also claimed that Russian forces made progress in Opytne (4km south of Bakhmut) and began a ground attack on Klishchiivka (7km southwest of Bakhmut) on 29 November
  44. ↑ Wagner forces captured Kurdyumivka (13km southwest of Bakhmut)[permanent dead link]
  45. ↑ "RUSSIAN OFFENSIVE CAMPAIGN ASSESSMENT, 29 NOVEMBER". ISW. Russian forces continued to make limited gains around Bakhmut amid reports of heavy fighting in the area on 29 November. Geolocated footage posted on 29 November shows that Russian forces advanced on the southeastern outskirts of Bakhmut.
  46. ↑ "Invasion Day 278 – Summary". MilitaryLand. 28 November 2022.
  47. ↑ "Five Georgian military volunteers killed in Ukraine: encircled near Bakhmut, Donetsk Oblast". Yahoo News. 4 December 2022.
  48. ↑ Kaonga, Gerrard (2022-12-08). "Wagner Group repels fresh Ukrainian advances in battle for Bakhmut—Report". Newsweek. Retrieved 2022-12-09.
  49. ↑ 49.0 49.1 "Invincibility centre Bakhmut. What is happening at the most difficult axis of the front". Pravda. 8 December 2022. Retrieved 27 December 2022.
  50. ↑ "Russia Has 'Destroyed' Bakhmut; Donbas Front Lines 'Difficult': Zelensky". Newsweek. 9 December 2022.
  51. ↑ "Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, 11 December". The Institute for the Study of War. 11 December 2022.
  52. ↑ "The situation in the Bakhmut direction - 11 December 2022". Brussels connection. 11 December 2022.
  53. ↑ "Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, 12 December". The Institute for the Study of War. 12 December 2022. Retrieved 13 December 2022.
  54. ↑ "Chronicle of a special military operation: events of 12 December 2022". Rybar. 12 December 2022. Retrieved 13 December 2022.
  55. ↑ "Undermining the railway bridge near Bakhmut". TPYXA. 12 December 2022. Archived from the original on 13 December 2022. Retrieved 13 December 2022.
  56. ↑ "Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, 13 December". The Institute for the Study of War. 13 December 2022. Retrieved 14 December 2022.
  57. ↑ "Soledar direction situation as of 15.00 December 13, 2022". Rybar. 13 December 2022. Retrieved 14 December 2022.
  58. ↑ "Ukrainian-Russian war. Day 292". Suriyak maps. 13 December 2022. Retrieved 14 December 2022.
  59. ↑ Brugen, Isabel van (2022-12-14). "Wagner Group breach Ukrainian lines to take control of eastern Bakhmut—ISW". Newsweek. Retrieved 2022-12-15.
  60. ↑ "Ice cold test of resolve in Ukraine's 'meat grinder'". The Times. 16 December 2022. Retrieved 27 December 2022.
  61. ↑ "Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, 17 December". The Institute for the Study of War. 17 December 2022. Retrieved 18 December 2022.
  62. ↑ "Ukrainian Drone Captures Horrors of Bakhmut Battle as Fighting Rages—Video". Newsweek. 20 December 2022. Retrieved 22 December 2022.
  63. ↑ "Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, 19 December". The Institute for the Study of War. 19 December 2022. Retrieved 22 December 2022.
  64. ↑ "Ukraine war: Volodymyr Zelensky visits front-line city of Bakhmut". BBC News. 2022-12-20. Retrieved 2022-12-21.
  65. ↑ "Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, 21 December". The Institute for the Study of War. 21 December 2022. Retrieved 22 December 2022.
  66. ↑ "'Explosions Every Minute:' Inside Bakhmut As Fighting Rages". RFE/RFL. 19 December 2022. Retrieved 22 December 2022.
  67. ↑ "Governor: Over 60% of infrastructure in Bakhmut damaged or destroyed". Yahoo News. 26 December 2022. Retrieved 27 December 2022.
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