After several months of bloody fighting, the Russian troops led by the Wagner paramilitary formation have managed to surround Bahmut, the Ukrainian city that became Moscow’s main target at the end of last year. On Thursday evening they broke through the city’s defenses and immediately began its uncontrolled destruction.
Upon entering the city, which has become known as a “meat grinder” for the past seven months, Wagner’s forces led by Yevgeny Prigozhin destroyed the key bridge connecting the city to the nearby village of Kromovo. The Ukrainian police stated that this is a vital road for evacuating civilians and delivering military materials. The bridge is also the last major supply route from Bahmut to Chasiv Yar, a strategically important city located a little farther east.
Prigozhin, who had been criticized for the slow progress on the front for months, proudly spoke from the top of a building and announced new, even more brutal battles between their ranks. The man known as Putin’s cook (due to the catering company that supplies the Kremlin) called on Zelensky to withdraw his soldiers from the city before they were finally surrounded.
“Wagner units have practically surrounded Bahmut! If the professional Ukrainian army had fought us earlier, we would have seen more seniors and children among them, and their lives in Bahmut would last a day or two,” said Prigozhin.
On the other hand, Kiev is still considering the possible withdrawal of its soldiers from Bahmut, which, according to the appeal of Ukrainian soldiers, will be inevitable. Videos of desperate Ukrainian soldiers in Bahmut who claim that they are surrounded and have no more strength to defend themselves are circulating on social media. In one of the videos, a Ukrainian soldier is seen escaping from Bahmut and sending a message to his mother, not believing that he survived.
“Mom, I’m alive, alive!” is heard in the video.
The victory in the bloody battle for this city could be a significant turning point in the war. Firstly, before the war, Bahmut was one of the largest cities in the Donetsk region, but in recent months, only a few thousand residents remained there. However, this city represents an important point for the Russian army, which can turn it into a major command center from where it can distribute equipment, weapons, and food to its soldiers in other cities and regions. That is precisely why one of the most brutal units, the Wagner paramilitary formation, was sent to occupy Bahmut.
In the end, conquering Bahmut is important for Prigozhin himself. The first reason is the desire of the owner of the largest paramilitary formation to show that these troops can achieve results, especially since the official Russian army has had catastrophic results in recent months in the south and east of Ukraine, especially in Kherson, where they even had to withdraw.
Also, the operations of the official Russian army in Donbas are not going according to plan, either in terms of the speed at which they are advancing or in terms of planned conquests.
The Russian army set the goal of “fully liberating Donbass” at the end of April last year when the first phase of the war ended, but since then they have not only failed to achieve this goal but also lost part of the Luhansk region during the Ukrainian counter-offensive in August. Otherwise, this region was almost entirely under Russian control until the end of summer.
Success in Bahmut would thus enable Prigozhin to achieve victory on the ground, but also a better position in the Kremlin.
In recent weeks, Prigozhin has been in fierce clashes with key people in Vladimir Putin’s administration, such as Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, whom he publicly accused of poor military results. In fact, Western media reported in December last year that there was a conflict between Putin himself and Prigozhin because the head of Wagner allegedly told him that the Russian military tactics were leading to defeat.
