Battle for Bakhmut Is Critical Test of Russia’s Prospects in Ukraine

The Wall Street Journal ^ | Dec. 18, 2022 | Yaroslav Trofimov

[MinorityRepublican]

BAKHMUT, Ukraine—Russian shells slammed closer and closer as Ludmyla Bondarenko and Zoya Shilkova, clad in fur coats atop layers of clothing, sat on a bench outside their apartment block, chatting and getting some fresh air on a frigid afternoon in what remains of this eastern Ukrainian city.

At an intersection nearby, Ukrainian troops used a crane to emplace concrete slabs, fortifying the neighborhood. Three freshly arrived tanks roared by, blue-and-yellow flags fluttering from their turrets. A distant staccato of machine-gun fire could be heard amid the thumps of artillery.

“We’re so used to it by now, we no longer pay much attention,” Ms. Bondarenko, 76, said as she pointed to a nearby crater left by a Russian shell in the morning. “It’s been going on for months. When is it going to end?”

“It’s probably never going to end,” replied Ms. Shilkova, 75.

Their apartments have had no heating, power or running water for months. The only available food comes from volunteers. “It’s a humanitarian catastrophe. That’s how we live,” Ms. Bondarenko said.

Russian soldiers and fighters from the Wagner private military company have been fighting to capture Bakhmut, a town of 70,000 people that was best known for its sparkling wines before the war, for nearly six months now.

Daily Russian pounding has turned the once-elegant city center into a succession of obliterated facades, with debris strewn on the streets amid freshly dug-out trenches and antitank barriers.

The Russians reached the eastern outskirts of Bakhmut in early July, in the wake of their last successful offensive, the seizure of nearby Lysychansk and Severodonetsk. The tide of war has dramatically turned in Kyiv’s favor elsewhere in the country since then, as Ukrainian forces ousted Russian troops from vast areas of the Kharkiv, Donetsk and, last month, Kherson regions.

[SoConPubbie]

You know, these stories about the imminent demise of Russia have the same flavor / spirit about them as the multitude of stories about how “We got him now!” concerning President Trump.

Same attitude, same lack of real evidence, same slanted garbage.

[JonPreston]

Bakhmut is largely in Russian hands.

[MinorityRepublican]

Bakhmut is largely in Russian hands.

[tlozo]

Russians have been attacking Bakhmut since Aug 1.

[Timber Rattler]

Comrade Jon, have you checked on Comrade Cranked? He seems to have gone missing. I'm terribly worried about him. Did he get mobilized or transferred to Ukraine?

[JonPreston]

Cranked is a man of peace ☮️, and what does he have to do with my comment? Bakhmut is largely in Russian hands. That’s a fact.

[JonPreston]

Thanks, the fight is nearly over for the poor unfortunates who followed Zelenskyyy

[glorgau]

Yep, same slanted garbage with emotionally evocative language but few actual details.

[Chunga85]

You repetitive, deranged John Bolton mockingbirds are responsible for, and evidently take pride in, FR traffic dropping month over month.

[Timber Rattler]

The Russians have the garbage dump, Comrade Jon, and that is all they have in Bakhmut.

[ought-six]

You know, it’s odd: I don’t ever seem to recall any story posted on FR about the “imminent demise of Russia,” though there have been scores — from your side (but not necessarily you particularly) — about the imminent defeat of Ukraine or its demise as an independent and sovereign nation. Yet, it hasn’t happened. Why is that?

[MinorityRepublican]

Bakhmut is largely in Russian hands. That’s a fact.

The Ukrainians have stopped the Russians from advancing in the Donbass.

[buwaya]

You are mad. And moreover, I am pretty sure you Putinists dont pay your way here. I give $120/year to keep this place going and I have been doing so for @20 years.

[ought-six]

“You repetitive, deranged John Bolton mockingbirds are responsible for, and evidently take pride in, FR traffic dropping month over month.”

And you know this how?

[Chunga85]

You can’t be serious. Or, more accurately, you can’t be taken seriously.

The pages of FR are strewn with story after story of Putin dying over and over again. Soldiers constantly in mutiny. Putin imminently overthrown, Ruble collapse, etc.

[buwaya]

Fair. American “news” reporting is heavy on the “human interest” details, like in this case the opinions of kvetching 75 year old women. It doesnt have what I would like, say the numbers and dispositions of Ukrainian artillery and a rundown on their ammunition state. A few speadsheets would be nice.

But we groundlings have to take what we can get, from ALL of the news, no matter the side its on. Any story on any subject, not just Ukraine. At best a detail is presented that seems significant. So deal.

[buwaya]

The pages of FR are strewn with 90-95% US political stories.
You can easily avoid Ukraine and improve your blood pressure, if you find it such a trial.

[Renfrew]

Question:

What country is Kherson in?

[buwaya]

Cranked may have found religion through academic theology (probably not), or maybe a better job elsewhere. Trolling FR is probably a poor return on FSB resources. Facebook, Twitter and Youtube are way better bang for the propaganda ruble.