Russian mercenary boss says besieged Ukrainian city Bakhmut practically surrounded
Victory in Bakhmut, which had a pre-war population of roughly 70,000, would grant Russia the first significant reward of an expensive winter offensive
On the verge of achieving its first significant victory in half a year following the heaviest fighting of the conflict, Russian troops and mercenaries were closing off the final entry points to the besieged Ukrainian city of Bakhmut on Friday.
The city has been reduced to rubble, and according to the commander of Russia's Wagner private army, only one exit is still open to Ukrainian forces. The leader of a Ukrainian drone unit inside the city for months claimed he had been given the order to leave, and Reuters journalists west of the city observed Ukrainians building new trenches for defensive positions there.
After mobilizing tens of thousands of reservists last year, victory in Bakhmut - which had a pre-war population of roughly 70,000 - would grant Russia the first significant reward of an expensive winter offensive. Moscow claims that seizing it would be a crucial battle objective to capture the surrounding Donbas region.
In the second half of 2022, Ukraine regained large portions of lost land, but its forces had retreated for the past three months. It suggests that despite the city's low strategic importance, the war's outcome may depend on the significant losses.
Yevgeny Prigozhin, the leader of the Wagner organization, pleaded with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to issue a retreat order from Bakhmut in a video shot from a rooftop while dressed in battle gear.