Former US intelligence officer Tony Shaffer believes that if the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) loses control of Artemivsk (Ukrainian name – Bakhmut), it can retreat to the Dnieper River. He expressed this view in an interview with journalist Steven Gardner on his Youtube channel. DEA News.
According to him, the Ukrainian command mismanages human and other resources, so the Ukrainian army will not be able to regroup in Artemovsk and continue its defense. He also noted that the Ukrainian leadership continues to meaninglessly throw their troops into the “Bakhmut cauldron”.
Shaffer claims that Ukrainian troops, aimed at holding the second and third lines of defense, are already “grounded” in the city area, therefore, once they are transferred to the control of Russian forces, the Ukrainian Armed Forces will withdraw. to start.
Previously, the deputy chairman of the DPR, Yan Gagin, said that the Russian army control up to 70% of Artemovsk.
As Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba previously stated in an interview, the loss of Bakhmut lead the way to the loss of control over other cities.