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Civilians flee Bakhmut as possible Ukrainian troop withdrawal looms
AP vis PBS ^ | 4 March 2023 | staff reporting

Posted on 03/04/2023 1:19:45 PM PST by Vlad0

KHROMOVE, Ukraine (AP) — Pressure mounted Saturday on Ukrainian troops and civilians hunkering down in Bakhmut, as Kyiv’s forces tried to help residents flee amid what Western analysts say may be preparations for a Ukrainian withdrawal from the eastern city that Russian forces have spent months trying to capture.

A woman was killed and two men were badly wounded by shelling while trying to cross a makeshift bridge out of Bakhmut on Saturday, according to Ukrainian troops who were assisting them.

A Ukrainian army representative who asked not to be named for operational reasons told The Associated Press that it was now too dangerous for civilians to leave the city in Donetsk province by vehicle and that people had to flee on foot instead.

Bakhmut has for months been a key target of Moscow’s grinding eastern offensive, with Russian troops, including large forces from the private Wagner Group, inching ever closer to Kyiv’s key eastern stronghold.

(Excerpt) Read more at pbs.org ...


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; Front Page News; News/Current Events; Russia
KEYWORDS: 0iqneocons; 100000russiandead; 200000ukrainiansdead; angryneoconsbelow; anotherazovvictory; bakhmut; chicoms; china; communism; diewachtambakhmutka; donbasquagmire; failedinvasion; homos4zelensky; neocons4biden; nomercy; putin4ussr; putinisgay; putinlovescommunism; putinrules; russia; russiaiscommunist; sovietunion; takethatputin; ukiesontherun; ukraine; ukrainecorruption; war; winninghugely; xipoohbear; zelenskyworshippers
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NOTE TO MODS: I have removed all AP content, including the photo, from the comment section. -V.

The fact that civilians are being told it is too dangerous to leave by vehicle and they should walk out seems to confirm that the Russian encirclement of Bakhmut is complete. Tough situation for the defenders.

Russia is using siege warfare techniques repeatedly, cut off the city, leaving one road out. Then after a while close the road. The Russian vloggers refer to this as "a caldron". The Ukrainians have been trapped in several of these. Their habit seems to be to claim they are defending and the Russians have not take the city until well after the fact, possibly to provide rhetorical cover for retreating troops. Then, when it's too obvious (from video evidence) to possibly deny they admit they then reluctantly admit that the Russians now control that city.

It is impressive to me that the AP has reporters in the vicinity of this battle.

In the last few days the Ukrainians, as reported in this article and elsewhere, have begun blowing up bridges and dams to slow the ability of the Russians to pursue them, and slow the Russian takeover of some sectors of the city. Unfortunately, in doing so they also cut their own link to their last resupply route, according to the article.

These are all pretty desperate tactics and statements. We're clearly in the end-game of Ukraine surrendering the city to Russia.

What is interesting is how 180 degrees out of sync the political news tacked onto the end of this article is. The USA Biden regime officials and their Europeans buddies are talking about War Crimes and Ukraine joining the EU. One might expect for them to be talking about ending the war, instead they seem to be pretending it's somehow over. (Weirdly parallel to the Ukrainian military pretending they still are holding Bakhmut).

1 posted on 03/04/2023 1:19:45 PM PST by Vlad0
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To: Travis McGee; Nextrush; SoConPubbie; adorno; hardspunned; WKUHilltopper; Howie66; ransomnote; ...

The latest mainstream news coverage on the battle for Bakhmut, FYI.


2 posted on 03/04/2023 1:21:35 PM PST by Vlad0 (Ukraine is the money laundering center for the Soros / WEF / Democratic elite. Ask Hunter! )
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To: Vlad0

3 posted on 03/04/2023 1:21:38 PM PST by E. Pluribus Unum (The worst thing about censorship is ████ █ ██████ ███████ ███ ██████ ██ ████████. FJB.)
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To: Vlad0
Earlier today, Prigozhin had another meltdown at at Putin's MOD and is threatening to pull his Wagner troops from the Bakhmut area.


4 posted on 03/04/2023 1:24:16 PM PST by marcusmaximus
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Comment #5 Removed by Moderator

To: Vlad0

Quit abusing the Breaking News sidebar. Everything you post isn’t Breaking.


6 posted on 03/04/2023 1:25:44 PM PST by Admin Moderator
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To: Admin Moderator

Will do.


7 posted on 03/04/2023 1:29:50 PM PST by Vlad0 (Ukraine is the money laundering center for the Soros / WEF / Democratic elite. Ask Hunter! )
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To: Vlad0

Thank you.


8 posted on 03/04/2023 1:31:39 PM PST by Admin Moderator
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To: marcusmaximus
Yes, that is an incredible set of circumstances. Particularly since so much of it is being played out in public. Very weird, and very different from what we consider normal in our context.

Obama fired this guy for way less. That's expected, and no one was surprised or upset about it really. You talk smack about the civilian leadership above you, you are done. Even Even the great Gen. Douglas MacArthur, hero of the Pacific theater was done in by Ike for insubordination.

US Afghan commander Stanley McChrystal fired by Obama

9 posted on 03/04/2023 2:29:38 PM PST by Vlad0 (Ukraine is the money laundering center for the Soros / WEF / Democratic elite. Ask Hunter! )
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

Any time one finds oneself on the same side as Soros it’s time to regroup and rethink one’s opinions.


10 posted on 03/04/2023 2:30:26 PM PST by Vlad0 (Ukraine is the money laundering center for the Soros / WEF / Democratic elite. Ask Hunter! )
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

🤔


11 posted on 03/04/2023 2:40:42 PM PST by SaveFerris (Luke 17:28 ... as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold ......)
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To: Vlad0

Western MSM at it again…..the Ukies have started blowing bridges a day or two ago….I fully expect them not to report of the Bakmut demise a week after the fact ( Just like Soledar).

Anyway, the linchpin of the Donbass has fallen, as expected. Vlad can now have his Donbass, at least he will pay for it’s reconstruction( as he did in Mariupol- at an astonishing rate).


12 posted on 03/04/2023 2:45:40 PM PST by delta7
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

.


13 posted on 03/04/2023 2:46:26 PM PST by sauropod (“If they don’t believe our lies, well, that’s just conspiracy theorist stuff, there.”)
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To: Vlad0

Truman relieved MacArthur! Not Eisenhower!


14 posted on 03/04/2023 2:48:28 PM PST by Reily
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To: Vlad0

In the words of Kenny Rogers....... you gotta know when to hold em and know when to fold em.

Based on semi-reliable sources the Ukrainians have built quite a defensive network on higher ground just West of the town so it is quite likely that the battle for Bakhmut will not end even if the Ukrainians pull back. The shelling there sounds brutal


15 posted on 03/04/2023 2:54:59 PM PST by volunbeer (We are living 2nd Thessalonians)
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To: Reily
Truman relieved MacArthur! Not Eisenhower!

Yes. Ooops!

16 posted on 03/04/2023 3:21:36 PM PST by Vlad0 (Ukraine is the money laundering center for the Soros / WEF / Democratic elite. Ask Hunter! )
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To: marcusmaximus

“Earlier today, Prigozhin had another meltdown at at Putin’s MOD and is threatening to pull his Wagner troops from the Bakhmut area.”

If he gets any angrier he’ll just take them to Odessa


17 posted on 03/04/2023 3:32:14 PM PST by map
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To: Vlad0
It generally seems to be a similar situation to WW-II on the eastern front where rail junctions were heavily defended but if a junction fell, the fallback was to the next junction.
18 posted on 03/04/2023 3:48:50 PM PST by fso301
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To: Vlad0

The French Fought Hard at Dunkirk.
One of their finest moments in my opinion.
Ukrainians seem to have some Moxy.
They may slug it out.
Pray for them All.


19 posted on 03/04/2023 4:14:29 PM PST by Right Brigade (It was better before they voted for whats his name,this must be the New World)
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To: Vlad0

Yeah taking days to spin inevitable defeat.


20 posted on 03/04/2023 4:24:53 PM PST by Nextrush (FREEDOM IS EVERBODY'S BUSINESS-REMEMBER PASTOR NIEMOLLER)
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