Russians switch from encircling Bakhmut to squeezing defenders out of the city
The Russian invaders have changed their tactics of fighting around Bakhmut, focusing their efforts on squeezing the Defence Forces out of the city and temporarily abandoning attempts to encircle it.
Source: Institute for the Study of War (ISW)
Quote: "Russian forces appear to have temporarily scaled back efforts to encircle Bakhmut from the southwest as well as from the northeast and may instead be focusing on pressuring Ukrainian forces to withdraw from the city by concentrating on the northeastern offensive."
Details: Now the Russians are likely putting pressure on the Defence Forces in Bakhmut to retreat through the T0504 Highway. This, analysts suggest, will reduce the efforts of the invaders to encircle the city.
"The double envelopment of Bakhmut would likely require further manpower and equipment commitments and Russian forces may intend to avoid the further costs of a potential encirclement," the ISW report says.
Background:
- On 2 March, British intelligence predicted the weather would worsen for moving around the city of Bakhmut, which would probably give an advantage to Ukrainian defenders.
- In February, General Mark Milley, Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, predicted that the Ukrainian forces would not retreat from Bakhmut. Oleksii Danilov, the Secretary of National Security and Defence Council of Ukraine, stated that the Russians were losing seven times more soldiers than the Ukrainian side on the Bakhmut front.
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