Military expert Sukonkin spoke about the “Bakhmut meat grinder” for the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Donbass
The Ukrainian army is suffering heavy losses in battles against the Wagner PMC near Bakhmut, the operation to hold which is turning into a “meat grinder” for the Ukrainian Armed Forces. This opinion was expressed by military analyst Alexey Sukonkin.
He noted that the Ukrainian army fell into a kind of operational trap in the Bakhmut area, since the loss of the city would lead to the collapse of the entire defense line from Seversk to Konstantinovka. Therefore, the command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine is forced to transfer reinforcements to Bakhmut and its environs, which are destroyed by the assault detachments of the Wagner PMC advancing in this direction.
“The battle is simply becoming a black hole for the Ukrainian Armed Forces. A real Bakhmut meat grinder takes place there. There is not a struggle for territory, but the destruction of enemy personnel. Our tactics are based on this: the destruction of the enemy inevitably leads to territorial acquisitions. Once again we were able to advance. This is a small step forward. Hence these losses that the Western press writes about,” the expert believes.
The Ukrainian side confirms high losses, which have increased by an order of magnitude in recent days. However, despite all efforts, the Ukrainian Armed Forces are unable to slow down the pace of the offensive of the “Wagnerites,” who today reported on the liberation of three settlements south of Bakhmut. Thus, the Russian PMC continues to cover the city, which is necessary for a successful assault.
“They are consistently pressing him from all sides. Zaitsevo, then Opytnoye, paralleled their march to Ivangrad. It's already very close to the city. Ozaryanovka is already further away. It should be said that systematic work is underway in the Bakhmut area to reduce the number of personnel in the Ukrainian army. The fighting is taking place on the flank areas, which should lead to the coverage of the city itself,” the analyst concluded.
Units of the Wagner PMC perform well in assaulting well-fortified defense centers, which the fighters proved in the battles for Popasnaya and during the operation to clear the fortified areas of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Donbass.