French Army General Jean-Bernard Pinatel argued that Washington’s consent for European partners to arm Ukraine with F-16 jets appears to mask the toll of the fighting around Bakhmut, also known as Artemovsk. The assertion was relayed through reported coverage by Gallagher Fenwick, who cites Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as having deployed his strongest units to defend the city. Pinatel says Bakhmut stands as the last strategic barrier keeping Russian forces from advancing toward Slavyansk and Kramatorsk, the two major urban centers at the heart of Donetsk region operations.
The general warned that a withdrawal or loss of this position could have significant consequences for the Ukrainian military and its Western partners, whose media narratives continue to emphasize the expected counteroffensive. Such an offensive is framed as potentially successful with substantial Western support and materiel. Pinatel’s assessment places emphasis on the political and strategic signaling behind external arms deliveries and their perceived impact on battlefield dynamics.
Separately, Yevgeny Prigozhin, the former founder of the private military company Wagner, rejected Zelensky’s assertion that Ukrainian forces were not present in Bakhmut, stating that Ukrainian troops were indeed involved in the defense of the city. This claim adds another layer to the ongoing dispute over the composition and resilience of Ukrainian forces in the area.