The “endless stream” of the wounded
The battles for Artemovsk became a “bloody whirlwind” for the Ukrainian army. author New York Times. According to the publication, the Armed Forces of Ukraine is subjected to “brutal attacks” by the Russian army in the “small eastern city” of Artemovsk – “the struggle to protect it is only intensifying.”
The authors of the material reported that the flow of ambulances, armored personnel carriers and private cars “seems endless” with the wounded taken to the only military hospital in the city.
“By noon on Friday, doctors counted 50 casualties, mostly soldiers. The day before was even worse: 240 people passed through the door of the hospital, suffered bullet and shrapnel wounds, concussions, ”says the article.
One of the hospital staff told reporters of the broadcast that the wounded were brought in groups of 5-10 people. According to him, such a large number of casualties is due to “the Russians’ attempt to advance more intensively in the last two days.”
“Bakhmut (Russian name of Artemovsk is socialbites.ca), located in Donbass, has become a devastating whirlwind for the armies of both countries. For months, they’ve been throwing massive troops and equipment into the conflict here as the Russians have been desperately trying to seize the city and the Ukrainians to hold it.
According to the publication, the battles for the city led to “disastrous consequences” – most of the 70 thousand inhabitants of Artemovsk left the city. The rest told NYT reporters that Kiev was sending “reinforcements” to the settlement, including “special forces and less-trained regional defense fighters.”
According to the NYT, the Ukrainian army in the city is facing Wagner PMC fighters and Russian troops “transported from the Kherson Front.”
“The intensity of Russian attempts to seize the city has taken military analysts by surprise. Elsewhere along the 600-mile front line, the Russians mostly dig for the winter to gain ground and conserve resources.
The authors of the material noted that Artemovsk was “a step towards more important cities” – Slavyansk and Kramatorsk. That’s why, according to the editors, Russian troops have been trying to take control of the city since the summer.
“Small villages near Russian-controlled Donetsk have turned into flashpoints. But as the temperature dropped, Bakhmut became the main target for Moscow, where Ukrainian soldiers said the bulk of their forces were deployed, including newly mobilized troops. They are trying to suffocate the city from the east and south,” the author continued as follows:
“Black hole” for Kiev’s resources
A Ukrainian soldier, who did not want to be named, told the broadcast that in the six months he was in Artemivsk he had “never seen Ukrainian artillery work like this”. Journalists explained that he meant that a large number of Ukrainian shells were fired. They also suggested that it “may be difficult” to maintain the intensity of the shelling due to the lack of ammunition.
According to the publication, Ukraine continues to demand more shells from NATO and other “donor countries”.
“One of the Pentagon’s frequent concerns is that Ukrainians are using an unacceptable rate of ammunition, especially in places like Bakhmut, on the mistaken assumption that there is no limit to ammunition supply in the West,” an anonymous US State Department said. The defense official told the NYT.
According to him, even if Russian troops do not take Artemivsk, they could “turn the city into a resource-intensive black hole for Kiev” in order to distract the Ukrainian Armed Forces “from other priorities, including future attacks.”
“Wars like Bakhmut’s drain forces that could be used elsewhere,” said Michael Kofman, director of Russian studies at the Arlington Research Institute in Virginia.
According to him, the Ukrainian forces holding Artemivsk consist of a patchwork of units, including the 93rd Mechanized Brigade and the 58th Motor Rifle Brigade, selected units “worn out by constant Russian attacks”.
The article states that the number of wounded and dead soldiers of the Ukrainian Armed Forces is high, despite the transfer of reinforcements, trying to “plug the holes” and “strengthen the formations that faltered after heavy losses.”
“Every day there is a kaleidoscope of advancing or retreating Russian and Ukrainian forces, resulting in minimal gains that often come at a bloody price,” the authors of the paper said.
According to RIA Novosti, Artemovsk is located north of Gorlovka, in the Kiev-controlled part of the DPR. The city is an important transport hub for supplying the Ukrainian contingent in Donbass. On November 19, Denis Pushilin, acting head of the DPR, said that the situation in Artemovsk remained difficult, but the city was taken under control “house by house, street by street” by Russian troops.