Posted on 01/20/2023 3:51:14 PM PST by FarCenter
Washington (AFP) – Ukraine should not fixate on defending the city of Bakhmut at all costs and instead use a window of opportunity to prepare a major counter-offensive against Russian forces, a senior US official said Friday.
That industrial hub has become the epicenter of the grinding war in eastern Ukraine, involving mass artillery strikes, slow advances and high casualties for both sides.
Bakhmut has also turned into a key political and symbolic prize, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visiting the frontlines there in December, right before his dramatic trip to address the US Congress in Washington.
However, a senior official in President Joe Biden's administration said the focus on Bakhmut is hampering Ukraine in the more important task of preparing a widely expected spring offensive to make major gains against Russian occupation in the south.
According to the official, who spoke to reporters on condition of anonymity and not being quoted verbatim, time favors Russia in Bakhmut, given its greater artillery resources and sheer numbers of troops.
However, the official said Russian victory there would not result in any significant shift in the war, because Ukrainian forces would retreat to well-defended positions.
National Security Council spokesman John Kirby echoed this, telling reporters at the daily White House briefing Friday that the notorious Russia private military company Wagner was "pouring, just literally throwing bodies into a meat grinder" to capture Bakhmut and another town, Soledar.
"Even if they are successful, in Bakhmut and Soledar, it's not going to strategically change the dynamics on the battlefield. It's not going to set the Ukrainians back to a degree where they're all of a sudden on the back foot and they’re losing," Kirby said.
(Excerpt) Read more at france24.com ...
“However, a senior official in President Joe Biden’s administration”
No doubt one of the usual traitors from the State Department.
Ukraine updates: Fighting in south increases sharply
Both Rogov and the Russian army said Moscow’s forces had seized the village of Lobkove, some 50 kilometres (30 miles) south of the Ukrainian-held regional capital also called Zaporizhzhia.
According to Rogov, Russian forces had fired at Ukrainian positions with “tanks, mortar and artillery” in a dozen villages in the region. He had also announced a “local offensive” near the town of Orikhiv a day earlier.
The Ukrainian army did not confirm the Russian claims, but said that “more than 20 settlements” in the region had been attacked.
https://www.dw.com/en/ukraine-updates-fighting-in-south-increases-sharply/a-64461872
Pre-emptive Russian attack to forestall the Ukrainian spring offensive?
Or just their winter offensive.
Russians and Ukrainian soldiers are dying by the bushel in Bahkmut. Things are going perfectly.
RF has taken most if not all Paraskoviivka, cutting the northern roadway to Slavyansk and railway to Siversk.
The AFU has one exit by way of a minor roadway to Chasiv Yar.
Bakhmut is under operational encirclement, notwithstanding 90,000 AFU troops in the theater. The Germans are astounded at the extent of AFU losses - three figures per day.
Bahkmut is under operational encirclement notwithstanding 90,000 or so AFU troops reinforcing. RF is advancing or probing on the Krasny Liman front against some pretty strong resistance. RF is advancing rapidly in the Zapporizia front on Ohrkiv, pinning and perhaps overunning 6 AFU brigades. So if the AFU were to advance on Melitopol, where would they get the troops? Hint - the UKR lies a lot.
Although Russian losses are considerably high as well, the report said this plays no role in the war tactics of the Russian army leadership as it is acting mercilessly around Bakhmut and throwing soldiers forward like cannon fodder.
Der Spiegel: German intelligence concerned about Ukraine's Bakhmut losses
https://www.dw.com/en/ukraine-updates-fighting-in-south-increases-sharply/a-64461872 Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies
US is not happy with Zelenskyy sending reinforcements from Zaporizha region to try to defend Bakhmut. US wants those troops sent back to Zaporizha region as fast as possible for the offensive on Melitopol and south Kherson and getting north Crimea under fire control as part of the planned offensive.
I think the RF will continue this style of fighting as it advances to Zapporizia and then Dneprotovsk. Some speculation this is advancing now with 50,000 plus RF forces. It will be interesting how long this advance will be ignored by the MSM/Dept. of State/DOD.
Funny how this warfare is much like a bear attack - claw the prey into a pin and slowly rip chunks off the body.
So why is Ukraine defending Bahkmut? Better to retreat. That’s what George Washington did during the Revolutionary War. Or the Viet Cong during the Vietnam War.
LOL, russian myth of 10:1. If it was true Kyiv would already be russian.
Please explain how RF launches 8x more shells per day than the AFU, but their losses are at a parity.
Its not just about volume, its also about accuracy.
For a variety of reasons, the ratio of Russian artillery volleys compared to Ukrainian ones is decreasing, a Pentagon official said.
“The Russian ability to outpace the Ukrainians in artillery is nothing new,” said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity. “That has decreased over time in terms of the ratio at which the Russians have been able to out-shoot the Ukrainians. Part of that is probably due to Russian munitions numbers. It's also due in part to Ukrainian effectiveness with the employment of their artillery and some of their systems. The ability of the Ukrainians to identify Russian artillery systems and Russian radars has been pretty effective and they've been combining the use of not just their tube artillery, but as you know, the [M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, or] HIMARS and the employment of [Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System, or] GMLRS to get after the Russian artillery effectiveness.”
https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/ukraine-situation-report-russian-artillery-advantage-diminishing
Russia Has More Artillery Than Ukraine. But Russian Gunners Have A Bad Habit Of Shelling ... Nothing.
Poorly trained and undisciplined Russian gunners following rigid, outdated doctrine are wasting Russia's artillery advantage.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidaxe/2022/12/18/russia-has-more-artillery-than-ukraine-but-russian-gunners-have-a-bad-habit-of-shelling--nothing/?sh=515b707aaed7
Poorly trained Russians can’t aim and are running out of munitions, while the AFU doesn’t miss, especially with HIMARS wunderwaffen, “Pentagon official said.” Got it.
Correct
A possible factor, yes. Us Plebs will never have enough info to to judge. If the news stenographer source is a “Pentagon official” on anything Ukraine, I will assume the opposite is true.
All that waste also wears out the barrels and other parts, I wonder if the Russian guns are being sent back for maintenance, my guess is that they are not getting as much repairs as the guns need.
I agree with this assessment. I never thought that little town was worth this much effort. Bakhmut is a small little town that will not change the out come of the war. Whether RuSSia takes it is irrelevant.
Save your battle strength for more important tasks.
Anonymous officials talking like this. on any and all subjects, are background noise. This is the same for all administrations Democrat or Republican.
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