The question that specialists answer to “Sky News Arabia” has become, has the way become clear for the Ukrainian defense to turn into a strong counterattack?
Conflicting news
The news received from Bakhmut varied about attempts to control and achieve victory between Russia and Ukraine, especially with Kiev announcing that it had recovered parts of the lands surrounding the city.
For his part, Alexander Artmatov, a Russian military analyst, says that the progress that Ukraine has achieved in Bakhmut, recently, seems slight and not strong, and works to prolong the battle, which is the first goal of the West and Washington.
Alexander Artmatov added, in exclusive statements to Sky News Arabia, that the situation in Bakhmut seems complicated and there is constant criticism from the commander of Wagner’s forces, Yevgeny Prigozhin, against the Russian Ministry of Defense. Because the ammunition did not reach his fighters in Bakhmut.
The Russian military analyst made several points about the battles in Bakhmut and the counterattack:
- The Ukrainian counterattack will not be formal and will seek to break through the battle front against Russia.
- Western reports talk about weak chances for Russia to achieve full control in Bakhmut.
- The divisions in the military plans around Bakhmut between Wagner and the army caused a delay in the decision.
New Western support
Russian forces control about 95 percent of the area of the city, which is suffering from widespread destruction, and amid the bloody battles, Germany announced that it is preparing a new package of weapons for Ukraine worth 2.7 billion euros, which is the largest allocated by Berlin since the start of the Russian war last year, while Paris announced Providing dozens of armored vehicles and light tanks to the Ukrainian army, as well as training soldiers to use them.
There were also reports of Britain introducing long-range (cruise) or Storm Shadow missiles with a range of 300 kilometers that could threaten the Russian depth, in light of the preparations for the Ukrainian counterattack.
Thanks to that Western aid, according to Kyiv’s statements, the Ukrainian Army and National Guard have created at least 16 new brigades with about 50,000 fighters. The Russian setback at Bakhmut, which followed similar reports of Ukrainian forces advancing south of the city, indicates a coordinated campaign By Kiev to surround the Russian forces.
On the other hand, according to Mykola Beliskov, a research fellow at the Ukrainian National Institute for Strategic Studies, there are a number of points centered around the strong fighting in Bakhmut and the entire eastern front, including:
- A new attempt to drain the West of Russia in a battle that has become very long and costly militarily for all.
- Attempts to advance the Ukrainians in Bakhmut translate into a definite desire to exploit generous Western support.
- The battle of Bakhmut puts the Russian military leadership in pressure and a dilemma in front of the Kremlin and public opinion in Moscow.
Despite the recent Ukrainian attack on the eastern front, according to Mykola Beliskov, it is unlikely that this pressure will turn into a comprehensive counterattack at the present time, given the incomplete training missions for the forces and the lack of sufficient Western support to achieve victory in that battle.
During the past hours, the founder of Wagner’s forces, Yevgeny Prigozhin, said in a post on Telegram that his men advanced up to 550 meters in some directions, on Saturday, and that they controlled a total land area in the city of Artyomovsk (Bakhmut), which amounted to 216,000 square meters.
Prigozhin added that Ukrainian forces control less than 1.75 square kilometers of the city.
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