Russia’s ongoing offensive around Bakhmut has cost Moscow between 20,000-30,000 casualties, with the private security contractor Wagner Group sustaining the majority of the losses in human-wave assaults against entrenched Ukrainian positions.For its part, Ukraine has opted to defend the city rather than pulling out, with President Volodymyr Zelensky publicly stating recently that Ukrainian forces would bolster troops numbers in the region. Russian efforts to undertake a renewed offensive in early-2023 have so far stalled, with any capture of Bakhmut offering a tactical but not strategic victory, according to western officials. It is unclear what casualties the Ukrainian forces have sustained...