Commander of Ukrainian Ground Forces names main reasons for holding Bakhmut

Control over Bakhmut prevents the Russian forces from advancing to the flanks and rear of the Ukrainian defence forces on the Lysychansk and Donetsk fronts. 

Source: Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskyi, Commander of Ukrainian Ground Forces, in an interview to Interfax-Ukraine 

Details: Syrskyi explained this and other reasons to the journalists.

The Bakhmut front remains the epicentre of the Russian military efforts amongst all other fronts. According to Syrskyi, Eastern Ukraine is the only part of the frontline where Russia had any kind of success since the beginning of its "great offencive" [full-scale invasion – ed.].

This means that the Russian plan to "conquer Ukraine in three days" turned into a nine-months long effort to take a small city in Donetsk Oblast. 

After numerous failures in northern and southern Ukraine Russia’s high command has to demonstrate at least some kind of successes in the occupation of Donbas. Without this, the occupiers cannot continue their offensive in the direction of Kramatorsk and Siversk. This is why Russian propaganda portrays the battles for Bakhmut as the second "battle for Stalingrad", the Colonel general says. 

And for this goal Russia will not spare any material resources or manpower. 

The pertinence of such a long-term defence of Bakhmut is explained by the army official in the following way:

Quote: "The battles for Bakhmut are of utmost importance not only for the enemy, but for us too. Because in the last couple of months we are repelling the enemy attacks on this part of the front and not letting them expand the frontline. In addition to that, we are inflicting heavy losses on the enemy, eliminating their professional units and destroying their equipment and armoured vehicles.

Further holding of Bakhmut is crucial for our defence for the following reasons: 

• The city is an important node of defence, the retention of which maintains the stability across the whole defence line;
• Bakhmut is well-positioned geographically, standing on a hill and surrounded by rivers, which facilitates defensive actions; 
• Another factor contributing to [successful – ed.] defence of the city is the presence of multi-storey buildings and developed infrastructure on the left bank of the Bakhmutovka river, where our forces hold their defence;
• Battles to take control of the city require special kind of approach and skill set for offensive actions, which creates difficulties for armed forces that [prior to this – ed.] advanced in the forest-steppe regions;
• Bakhmut constitutes a part of Konstiantynivka-Kramatorsk agglomeration, the retention of which will prevent the enemy from hitting our forces  in the flank or rear on the Lysychansk and Donetsk fronts."

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