war in Ukraine
Battle in Bakhmut in the final stages – Ukrainian soldiers cling to a last row of houses
Wounded Ukrainian fighter near Bakhmut.
© Aryna Rybakova / DPA
The Wagner mercenaries drove the defenders out of the “citadel”. The Ukrainian soldiers cling to a last row of buildings on the western outskirts of the city. The battle for Bachmut is entering its (very) final phase.
The Ukrainian defenders persistently and long defended the small town of Bakhmut. Most recently, they achieved a symbolic victory: on May 9, the day of the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany, they still held a corner of the city center so that Putin could not announce the complete capture of the city.
In the last few days they have paid the price for it. The Wagner mercenaries rolled up the Ukrainian positions at a pace Kiev did not believe possible. Because although the Ukrainians held only a few percent of the city area, the heavily fortified “citadel” was in it.
Compact settlement
To understand the importance of the citadel and its sub-segments, one must look at the layout of the city. Bakhmut is a compact settlement, which is sharply differentiated from the surrounding area. It is dominated by high-rise blocks from the Soviet era. These blocks of high-rise buildings became “fortresses” in the battle for Bakhmut. Observers and marksmen sit on the upper floors, which dominate the field of fire from all sides, while the rest of the troops and supplies are housed on the ground floor and in the basement. These high-built squares are the cornerstones of defense. Other zones in Bachmut consist of single-storey residential buildings in lightweight construction – often made of wood. They offer some privacy, but no more. In these flatly built-up zones, only the isolated large buildings can be sworn in, these are administrative buildings: trucking companies, schools, hospitals, etc.
Ukraine war
Bachmut must not fall. Images of a battle that will never end
The last stand of Kiev consisted of a cluster of high-rise buildings and a few larger buildings on the flanks of the city, shielding the western edge of Bakhmut and covering the remaining avenues for snacking. Within a short time this position collapsed except for a small edge in the west. First, the Russians in the north managed to take the “Olympic School”, and then penetrate through the zones of detached houses. Then they managed to storm houses in the center of the citadel. In doing so, they drove a wedge between the zone named “The Nest” to the northeast and “Construction Area” to the northwest.
case of the citadel
The Russians are said to have gotten into the basements of the houses through the district heating pipes. They are also said to have advanced from house to house, not penetrating through the entrances and window sides, but blasting holes through the massive partitions. House warfare has been fought in this way since Stalingrad. The comparatively small garrison of a house will have overwhelmed it if the opponent penetrated through the underground and through the walls on different floors at the same time. The adjacent houses in the nest and the construction area then had to be abandoned.
In addition, the Wagner mercenaries destroyed the bridge between Bakhmut and Chasiv Yar with an artillery strike. This reduced the Ukrainians’ ability to get material into the city and take troops out. According to Russian sources, the Wagner mercenaries have penetrated the last strip of houses – codename “Domino” – across the entire width. The children’s hospital should be fought for if it hasn’t already fallen. Barring a miracle, the fall of Bakhmut is imminent.
Retreat across open fields
It is not known how many Ukrainian soldiers are still there. The Ukrainians are said to have already set up defensive positions in the rows of trees west of the city. When the Wagner men have reached the last large buildings on the outskirts of the city, the Ukrainian rearguard will face the most bitter fighting. Just behind the skyscrapers begins a zone of open fields, through which the last defenders must cross if they want to reach Ukrainian lines. An orderly retreat in the Russian line of fire is not possible. The Ukrainians will probably try to cross these fields in small groups at night.
In the light of developments over the past few days, the Ukrainian counteroffensive must be evaluated. In both the north and south, the Ukrainians managed to throw the Russians out of their first line of defense. This resulted in chaotic situations on the Russian side. One could see how poorly equipped some of the Russian troops are. Two high-ranking officers were killed, but they managed to stabilize the front. Since then, the Ukrainians have made little progress. In the north they have somewhat more advantageous positions. But in both areas they are stuck in front of the Russian fortification system, which was built on mountain ranges.
Ambiguous results of the counter-offensive
So far Kiev has not made any breakthroughs, not to speak of the Russians being encircled in Bakhmut. In fact, the offensive failed to ease the pressure on defenders in the city. On the contrary: the Wagner mercenaries even intensified their attack.
Poor communication and poor equipment could be observed on the Russian side. However, the forward line in a layered defense system is not intended to stop the enemy, it is intended to slow the advance and guide the enemy advancing into an awkward zone in front of the second line. Flanking attacks have widened Ukrainian access to the city and will make it easier to dislodge the last troops in the area. Ultimately, this is a temporary success as part of a rearguard action. Kiev deployed parts of its best attacking troops against Russian units that were more of a second and third rank, without any resounding success. A new attack swing of the Ukrainians is currently not to be expected. With the fall of Bakhmut, Ukraine must prepare for the Russians to attack neighboring Kiev-held settlements from the city.