KYIV, Ukraine — Russian forces are engaged in “mopping up” operations to remove remaining Ukrainian soldiers from the ruins of Bakhmut, a senior Ukrainian official said Monday, as commanders of Kyiv’s military to shift attention from their apparent loss of the city to the battle for its outskirts.
The commander of the ground forces of Ukraine, Gen. Oleksandr Syrsky, admitted over the weekend that a small group of Ukrainian soldiers were now inside Bakhmut, a tacit acknowledgment that Russia had prevailed in its nearly year-long campaign to capture the city. General Syrsky said those few troops would continue to defend their land to provide “opportunities to enter the city should circumstances change.”
The comments signaled a shift in how Ukraine portrayed the deadliest campaign of the war as Russia claimed its first significant battlefield victory since last summer. For months, even as its hold on Bakhmut has shrunk to a few western blocks, Ukraine will focus on heavy fighting to prevent the Russians from seizing the city. Officials now appear to recognize that their focus is shifting from defending Bakhmut to making it harder for the Russians to hold it.
While many of Kyiv’s battlefield claims cannot be verified, it is clear that Ukrainian forces have made small gains in recent weeks north and south of Bakhmut, breaking a defensive position of Russia in a crucial battle that began on May 6.
Speaking during a visit to Ukrainian soldiers on the eastern front on Sunday, General Syrsky claimed on Sunday that Ukrainian forces continue to advance in the suburbs of Bakhmut and are “tactically close to encircling the city.” But the Ukrainian military has not given details about where it is advancing.
Territory reclaimed
of Ukraine since then
May 10
Approx
city limits
Territory reclaimed
of Ukraine since then
May 10
Approx
city limits
Territory reclaimed
of Ukraine since then
May 10
Approx
city limits
Territory reclaimed
of Ukraine since then
May 10
Approx
city limits
On Monday, Maj. Rodion Kudriashov, a commander in the Ukrainian 3rd Assault Brigade, said the Ukrainians continued to make small but important gains around the city.
“We are trying to feel the enemy’s weak spots and gradually, step by step, we are trying to squeeze him, occupying advantageous positions for us, taking the initiative,” he said in an interview with the Ukrainian broadcaster that RBC-Ukraine.
Some analysts said the Ukrainian claims appeared to be an effort to put a lid on the Bakhmut retreat.
“Talks about a tactical siege are premature and likely reflect a quick response to the fall of the city,” Konrad Muzyka, a defense analyst for Rochan Consulting, wrote on Monday.
That doesn’t mean, however, that Russia’s grip on the city is secure. Much may depend on the plans of the mercenary and bombastic leader of Russia’s Wagner group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, whose fighters led the Russian attack on Bakhmut. Hours after declaring “victory” over the weekend, Mr. Prigozhin said he would withdraw his fighters starting Friday.
“From June 1, not a single Wagner PMC fighter will be on the front until we undergo re-formation, re-equipment and additional training,” he said.
Withdrawing forces from an active front is no simple task, and could leave Russia vulnerable to attacks by Ukrainian troops on high ground outside the city. Given the widely reported tension between Wagner and the Russian military leadership, and communication problems within Russian ranks, analysts say Ukraine will be on the lookout for cracks to exploit.
Even if Mr. Prigozhin his fighters now, military analysts noted that Russia will face challenges in controlling Bakhmut, especially as Ukrainian forces prepare a counteroffensive that could exacerbate fighting in the rest of the 600- mile front line.
“Russian forces are likely to need additional reinforcements to hold the city of Bakhmut and its edges at the expense of operations in other directions,” wrote the Institute for the Study of War in its latest review On Sunday.
Ukrainians and British military intelligence have both reported that there is evidence the Russian military is sending thousands of soldiers to the area.
Hanna Maliar, a deputy Ukrainian minister of defense, said Monday that while “the enemy is wiping out the areas of the city under his control,” Ukraine continues “the struggle for the dominant height” around the city.
So far, he said, Ukrainian soldiers have fulfilled their main objective in the battle for Bakhmut.
“The offensive potential of the enemy is significantly reduced,” he said. “The enemy suffered great losses, and we gained time for some actions which may be described later.”
