Posted on 05/29/2023 9:35:35 AM PDT by MinorityRepublican
Russian forces have succeeded in taking control of the small eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut. Their costly 10-month assault has left them exhausted and hemmed in with little chance of advancing.
Since the battle for Bakhmut began last summer, observers have puzzled over why Moscow expended lives and equipment to destroy and capture a city with limited strategic value.
Ukraine also drew criticism for devoting resources to its defense of the city, but its leaders have said bogging down Russian forces there was worth the cost.
The protracted battle, in which thousands of Russian soldiers have died, has drawn parallels to past sieges, such as the World War II fight over Stalingrad, in part due to its apparent futility.
“Bakhmut is like Stalingrad because it has attained a symbolic importance far beyond its strategic significance,” said Mark Cancian, a senior adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington.
Whether the price either side paid for the city was worth it will be determined by the next phase of the war.
Victory in Bakhmut has given Russia something to show for its efforts after months without any meaningful gain, but its forces appear unable to capitalize on it.
Ukraine, meanwhile, is poised to strike back against Russian forces in a widely anticipated offensive, as it strives to recapture almost one-fifth of its territory from Russia.
(Excerpt) Read more at wsj.com ...
Is there anything left of Bakhmut ?
my thoughts exactly. What is the point? there is nothing left
LOL Russia has been methodical in taking out the Ukrainian military. It’s like they funneled Ukrainian men and American equipment into a meat grinder. Now we are sending F-16s? We are about to learn how out dated they are.
Its hard to trust the Wall Street Journal on anything any longer.
“but its leaders have said bogging down Russian forces there was worth the cost.”
LOL. Bogged down which forces? 10,000 prisoners of 1200 Marines holding their flanks? That leaves That leaves 98% of other forces to their own devices.
And, the Ukrainian/NATO army was destroyed by the Wagner group not the regular Russian military.
Ooh! Oooh! The rainbow flag will be flying over the Kremlin any minute now. /sarc
Russia mainly lost convicts.
Ukraine lost a large percentage of its finest soldiers.
Yep
I watch a lot of videos of Moscow and St. Petersburg, it’s as if there’s no war going on judging from those cities. Life is pretty much normal there.
Not unlike this country during, say, The Gulf War. The soldiers go to war, the country goes to the mall.
Why should it be any different?
“Russian forces.” Are there more than 100 actual Russian Army soliders, or just prisoners and Wagner ops?
I agree with you.. Now, allegedly, Russia is ‘inviting’ Cubans to join the fray with payment being citizenship in Russia. Sounds like they sent deadbeats to the battle without concern about losing them.
A lot of the “Russian” soldiers during WWII weren’t Russian. They were Mongols and soldiers from the Central Asian areas of the Soviet Union. Stalin didn’t use the ethnic Russians for cannon fodder nearly as much as the non-Russians.
a pyrrhic victory at best for the evil putin and his fans
Do you really believe the nonsense you post? Or was that the talking point of the day from some Russian propaganda office?
Why don’t you explain why, considering that it is faced on the west by higher ground which is currently full of entrenched Ukrainian forces looking down at the city.
“Since the battle for Bakhmut began last summer, observers have puzzled over why Moscow expended lives and equipment to destroy and capture a city with limited strategic value. “
The WSJ is carrying water for the Biden regime, again. It doesn’t notice at all that the Ukes kept saying Bakmut was worthless and yet kept hurling their solidiers at it. They bragged that they had Russia surrounded when in reality they had been forced out of the city and were taking shelter in the forest/terrain in the uncontested areas outside the city.
Russia wants to destroy Ukrainian military capability. It’s army didn’t need to chase them around the country. This way they reduce civilian collateral damage and the need to keep their military on the move. They just hunkered down in Bakmut and let the Ukes come to them. They accepted the losses they took.
Bakmut is a central supply line for the Ukes - it was never ‘worthless’ as the Ukes kept saying it was.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.