​The city of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine is more symbolic than operational, and its capture by Russian forces does not necessarily mean Moscow is regaining momentum in its more than year-old military campaign, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said on Monday, Reuters quoted.

In recent days, Russian troops have advanced around the city, which they threaten to surround, but which the Ukrainians continue to fiercely defend.

“I think it has more symbolic value than strategic and operational value,” Austin said, adding that he would refrain from predicting if and when the city of Bakhmut might be captured by Russian forces.

“The fall of (the city of) Bakhmut does not necessarily mean that the Russians will change the course of this struggle,” the American defense minister insisted.

Russia’s offensive is slowing down – expert

Meanwhile, Ukrainian military expert Serhii Grabskyi told EFE on Monday that the Russian offensive on the city of Bakhmut shows signs of slowing and that the assault may have reached “maximum” intensity without Kremlin forces taking control of the city.

“We saw some signs that the Russians had to slow down their operations because of a lack of personnel and ammunition,” said Grabsky, a reserve colonel who served in peacekeeping missions in Iraq and the former Yugoslavia.

The ex-serviceman is referring to a video released by the head of Wagner’s mercenary group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, in which he again complains about the lack of ammunition and warns that if his private army withdraws from Bakhmut, “the whole front will collapse.”

According to Grabsky, this is the first time that Prigozhin, whose mercenaries are leading the assault on Bakhmut, has spoken about the possibility of a retreat, which he says confirms the thesis that Russia no longer has the strength to continue its offensive on the city of Donbass.

If this possibility is confirmed, the quoted expert adds, “it is possible that the Ukrainian troops will resist the Russian offensive for a few more days, and then launch a counterattack to repel the enemy.”

He expressed optimism that Ukrainian troops will endure and be able to “hold their positions when they receive support and rotation.”

Grabskyi also stated that there are no signs of the imminent withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from Bakhmut.

Kyiv announced the introduction of additional troops

Russian troops have advanced in their goal to completely surround Bakhmut, and Ukrainian troops defending the city have only one supply road left, EFE notes.

Despite the fact that this road is within the range of Russian fire, Kyiv has assured that it can continue to use it, even announcing the introduction of additional troops to the area.

The Institute for the Study of War (ISW), a think tank in Washington, said last week that Kyiv’s actions could signal an imminent retreat from part of the city. Ukrainian troops can carry out a “limited and controlled withdrawal from particularly difficult areas in eastern Bakhmut”, while trying to block the movement of Russia and limit the exit routes to the west, reports ISW, which is quoted by “Ukrainian Pravda”. (source: Agerpress)

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