Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky promised in an interview published on Sunday that his country’s armed forces would continue to defend the city of Bakhmut (east), which has been under daily attacks by the Russian army for several months, but at the cost of human lives.

Mr. Zelenskiy made the comments to the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera as several Western analysts questioned whether and to what extent Kyiv’s outnumbered forces should continue fighting to hold onto the city, which has suffered massive losses. Russian artillery.

Before the war, Bakhmut, which is part of the Donetsk region, had a population of 70,000, but now Ukrainian officials say fewer than 5,000 citizens remain.

“This is not a particularly large city. In fact, like several others in the Donbass, it suffered greatly from the Russians. It is important for us to defend it, but not at any cost and not if everyone is killed,” the head of the Ukrainian state said Italian newspaper.

For some analysts in the West, the city has more symbolic than strategic significance, although they acknowledge that it is a gateway to cities further west in the Donetsk region.

According to Mr. Zelensky, Russian commanders intend to move towards the cities of Kramatorsk and Slovyansk, further west in the region, to reach “as far as the Dnieper” (center). “We will resist and in the meantime we will prepare the next counterattack,” he said.

The Russian military invaded Ukraine almost a year ago. He focused his efforts on capturing the entire Donbass, including the Donetsk and Lugansk regions, after his initial attempt at Kyiv failed.

Russian troops have been besieging Bahamut since July, when they captured two cities to the north. Leading Wagner Company mercenaries, they have made minor territorial gains in nearby villages, while fighting has raged in the northern sectors of the city itself for the past few days.

For Ukrainian military analysts, the city, which has natural fortifications, in particular a river and forests, matters: it fetters Russian forces.

“At the moment, there are no reasons for the Ukrainian army to leave Bakhmut. The city is not surrounded,” Oleksandr Kovalenko assured in an interview with the nv.ua website.

“Bahamut plays an important role: it’s a trap. Within nine months, he mobilized the resources and means of the Russian occupation forces… they suffered heavy losses. It should not be considered a fortress, but a trap,” he insisted.

Source: RES-IPE