According to BBC reports, Ukraine’s President, Volodymyr Zelensky, has declared that senior generals will support the ongoing operations to defend the besieged city of Bakhmut. Zelensky disclosed that he recently conferred with Oleksandr Syrsky, the commander of Ukraine’s ground forces, and Valery Zaluzhny, the head of the country’s armed forces, to discuss the situation in Bakhmut.
The statement conveyed that there was a consensus to persist with the defensive operation and bolster the defenses in Bakhmut. Despite Bakhmut’s limited strategic importance, the Russia-Ukraine conflict has resulted in the longest and most violent battle in the city. Mykhaylo Podolyak, an aide to Ukraine’s president, highlighted the unanimous agreement among Ukraine’s military to persist in the fight for Bakhmut, which Russia remains resolute to capture.
Podolyak stated that the military is in agreement regarding the imperative of continuing to safeguard the city and deplete the enemy’s forces while simultaneously constructing new defensive lines in anticipation of any unforeseen developments. Podolyak also asserted that their efforts to protect Bakhmut have accomplished their objectives by depleting Russia’s primary combat-ready units and enabling the training of tens of thousands of Ukrainian soldiers to plan for a counteroffensive.
Podolyak emphasized that even if the military command chooses to retreat to more favorable positions in the future, the defense of Bakhmut would still represent a major strategic victory for the Ukrainian armed forces. He clarified, however, that as of yet, no such decision has been made by military leadership.
In other developments, the leader of Wagner, aprivate army fighting on behalf of Russia, disclosed that they are experiencing shortages in ammunition supplies from Moscow, as they persist in their efforts to seize control of Bakhmut.
Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of Wagner, speculated that the shortage of ammunition could be attributable to either ordinary bureaucratic processes or a betrayal.
In related news, Ukraine announced on Monday its intention to reinforce its defenses in the salt-mining city, where both sides have incurred significant casualties.
