Jakub Maciejewski spoke with a soldier from one of Ukraine’s elite brigades defending Bakhmut, encircled by advancing Russian forces. The veteran has already escaped the inferno at the front, and his account reveals the harsh reality of Ukraine’s fight.
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The shelling is constant, the heat unbearable. The offensive presses on, with thousands ready to join the assault. The Russians push forward. Today they destroyed a tank from the 93rd Brigade and burned a weapon in a devastating blaze that knocked the soldier to the ground. The fire spread, reaching the speaker and scorching his gear. Exhaustion is everywhere. Almost no one switches out of the frontline unit.
That description came from a soldier who survived the hellish days around Bakhmut.
Maciejewski spoke with a member of the 92nd Brigade and asked whether Bakhmut should be allowed to fall under Russian control.
We will stand our ground until the last moment. If the enemy advances from the Swatowy direction from the north, they will wipe us out. The terrain favors the attackers, with higher ground giving Russian positions an advantage. From there they can shoot from above, the soldier explained.
Isn’t that just a threat of encirclement, though?
Maciejewski pressed the question.
We are under heavy artillery fire. They bombard, bombard, and then infantry follows. A trench fighter cannot safely lean out; if he does, he risks death. If he doesn’t lean out and the Russians stand just meters away, either way the options are grim—death or capture, the soldier lamented.
Ghostly losses
The interlocutor also described the staggering casualties suffered by the Russians. The Ukrainian fighter pointed out that the Russian command seems indifferent to its own soldiers’ loss, treating them as disposable cannon fodder.
Russian losses are reported to be far higher. Of about 120,000 personnel in this sector, including the area around Soledar, around 80,000 remained, the Ukrainian soldier stated.
(Attribution: wPolityce)