DSC_9481
www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/little-by-little-the-russian...
'Little by little, the Russians are winning'
For hours there is no let-up in the shelling, incoming and outgoing. A Russian fighter jet roars overhead. The nearest Russian troops are just two kilometres away.
There is street fighting in some areas, but Ukrainian forces still hold the city - despite sub-zero temperatures and dwindling ammunition.
"We have some shortages of ammunition of all kinds, especially artillery rounds," says Capt Mykhailo from the 93rd Mechanised Brigade, whose call sign is 'Polyglot'. "We also need encrypted communication devices from our Western allies, and some armoured personnel carriers to move troops around. But we still manage. One of the main lessons of this war is how to fight with limited resources."
We get an insight into the ammunition problems as Ukrainian troops target a Russian position with 60mm mortars. The first mortar round flies from the tube with a loud bang. The second round doesn't eject.
There's a hiss of smoke and a shout of "misfire" sending the mortar unit scrambling for cover. Troops tell us the ammunition is old stock, sent from abroad.
The battle for Bakhmut is a war within a war. Some of the fiercest fighting of the invasion has happened here. And now the Kremlin's forces are gaining ground, metre by metre, body by body. Wave after wave of mercenaries from the notorious Wagner group have been sent into battle here. There are reports of fields of Russian corpses.
Moscow now has effective control of both main roads into the city, leaving just one back route left - a slender supply line.
"They have been trying to take the city since July," says Iryna, press officer of the 93rd Brigade. "Little by little they are winning now. They have more resources, so if they play the long game they will win. I can't say how long it will take.
"Maybe they will run out of resources. I really hope so."
We move from carefully concealed firing positions to bunkers humming with generators and warmed by stoves. But troops take care to conceal any smoke which could give away their location - part of the housekeeping of war. Among those we meet there is calm determination to fight on.
"They are trying to encircle us so that we leave the city, but it's not working," says Ihor, a camouflage-clad commander, with a battle-hardened edge. "The city is under control. Transport moves, despite constant artillery strikes. Of course, we have losses from our side, but we are holding on. We only have one option - to keep going to victory."
There is another option - to withdraw from Bakhmut before it's too late. But among the defenders on the ground there seems little appetite for that. "If we have such an order from our HQ, OK, order is order," says Captain Myhailo. "But what sense to hold all these months if you need to retreat from this city? No, we don't want to do this."
He recalls those who have given their lives for Bakhmut - "a lot of good brave men who just love this country."
And if the defenders of Bakhmut were to withdraw, it would pave the way for Russia to push towards bigger cities in eastern Ukraine like Kramatorsk and Slovyansk.
Moscow has stepped up its attacks in other front-line areas in the Donbas region in the east, and in the south. Ukrainian officials say a new Russian offensive is already under way.
The Kremlin is on a clock, as it counts down to the anniversary on 24 February. "They are mad about dates and so-called 'victory days'," says Capt Mykhailo.
But the battle of attrition for Bakhmut could wear out the Russians, according to Viktor, a tall, lean Ukrainian commander who has captured Russian magazines on a shelf in his bunker.
"They don't defend now," he says, "they just attack. They continue taking some metres, but we are trying to make sure they take as little of our land as possible. We are holding the enemy here and wearing them out."
Perhaps.
There is still some life in Bakhmut if you know where to find it.
A blast of heat and light hits you when you walk through the door of the "invincibility hub", past boxes of donated food supplies. It's a boxing club turned life-support system where local people can recharge their phones and themselves, with hot food and companionship.
It was crowded when we visited, with elderly women clustered around a stove, and two young boys sitting in the boxing ring, glued to a TV screen, and playing war games.
Around 5,000 civilians remain in Bakhmut without running water or power - many are elderly and poor. "Some are pro-Moscow. They are waiting for the Russians," a Ukrainian colleague mutters darkly.
All here are fighting their own battles says Tetiana, a 23-year-old psychologist who is at the hub watching over her young brother and sister. She's still in Bakhmut because her 86-year-old grandmother can't move and relies on her.
"Most people deal with it by praying to God," she says. "Faith helps. Some forget that they are people. Some show aggression. They start behaving worse than animals."
Back outside the battle for this broken city rages on, with a drum beat of shelling as we leave.
www.euronews.com/2023/02/12/russia-continues-to-close-in-...
Russia continues to close in on Bakhmut, claiming capture of nearby town
12/02/2023 - 15:18
The head of Russia's paramilitary Wagner group said on Sunday that his troops had taken the Ukrainian town of Krasna Hora, a few kilometres north of Bakhmut, a key city that Moscow has been trying to conquer for several months.
"Today, Wagner's assault units took the locality of Krasna Hora", Yevgeny Prigozhin was quoted as saying by his press service.
For more than six months, Wagner and the Russian army have been trying to capture Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine, a town of limited strategic importance but which has gained great symbolic significance because of the long duration of the fighting.
Russian forces have been trying to encircle the city for the past few weeks. They have managed to cut off several roads that are vital for the supply of Ukrainian troops.
www.euronews.com/2023/02/10/ukraine-war-russia-launches-m...
Ukraine war: Russia launches 'massive' drone and missile attack
Russian forces struck critical infrastructure in Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, and launched multiple strikes on energy infrastructure in Zaporizhzhia early Friday as Moscow stepped up its attacks in Ukraine’s south and east and air raid sirens went off across much of the country.
The strikes happened just one day after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskky visited several European countries, lobbying for long-range weapons. Kyiv says it's already submitted a request for F-16 fighter jets from the Netherlands.
Ukraine's military chief also confirmed two Russian cruise missiles flew over Moldova's airspace before entering Ukraine. The missiles were fired from the Black Sea, said Valery Zaluzhny.
Moldovan authorities corroborated the Ukrainian statement, but reports that Romania's airspace was also breached were not confirmed by Bucharest.
The Moldovan foreign ministry has summoned the Russian ambassador to protest "against the unacceptable violation of our airspace by a Russian missile," according to a statement.
Explosions in Kyiv, and power grids targeted
Several explosions were also heard in Kyiv as officials reported high-voltage facilities across Ukraine being hit by Russian air strikes.
According to the Ukrainian Air Force, Russia fired "six Kalibr cruise missiles", "up to 35 S-300 anti-aircraft guided missiles at the Kharkiv and Zaporizhia regions", and used "seven Shahed drones".
"Five Kalibr cruise missiles and five Shahed drones were destroyed" by the anti-aircraft defence, the air force said.
No casualties have been reported at this stage by Ukrainian authorities.
Ukraine's power grid operator Ukrenergo said that several facilities in eastern, southern and western Ukraine had been hit, causing disruption to power supply.
Zaporizhzhia City Council Secretary Anatolii Kurtiev said the city had been hit 17 times in one hour, which he said made it the most intense period of attacks since the beginning of the full-scale invasion in February 2022.
In Kharkiv, authorities were still trying to establish information on victims and scale of the destruction, with Mayor Ihor Terekhov saying there may be disruptions to heating and the electricity and water supply.
Military analysts say Russian President Vladimir Putin is hoping that Europe’s support for Ukraine will wane, as Russia is believed to be preparing a new offensive.
Fighting in Ukraine intensified Thursday. Kyiv’s military intelligence agency said Russian forces have launched an offensive in the partially occupied Donetsk and Luhansk regions, with the aim to grab full control of the entire industrial region, known as the Donbas. Moscow-backed separatists have been fighting Ukrainian forces there since 2014.
DSC_9481
www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/little-by-little-the-russian...
'Little by little, the Russians are winning'
For hours there is no let-up in the shelling, incoming and outgoing. A Russian fighter jet roars overhead. The nearest Russian troops are just two kilometres away.
There is street fighting in some areas, but Ukrainian forces still hold the city - despite sub-zero temperatures and dwindling ammunition.
"We have some shortages of ammunition of all kinds, especially artillery rounds," says Capt Mykhailo from the 93rd Mechanised Brigade, whose call sign is 'Polyglot'. "We also need encrypted communication devices from our Western allies, and some armoured personnel carriers to move troops around. But we still manage. One of the main lessons of this war is how to fight with limited resources."
We get an insight into the ammunition problems as Ukrainian troops target a Russian position with 60mm mortars. The first mortar round flies from the tube with a loud bang. The second round doesn't eject.
There's a hiss of smoke and a shout of "misfire" sending the mortar unit scrambling for cover. Troops tell us the ammunition is old stock, sent from abroad.
The battle for Bakhmut is a war within a war. Some of the fiercest fighting of the invasion has happened here. And now the Kremlin's forces are gaining ground, metre by metre, body by body. Wave after wave of mercenaries from the notorious Wagner group have been sent into battle here. There are reports of fields of Russian corpses.
Moscow now has effective control of both main roads into the city, leaving just one back route left - a slender supply line.
"They have been trying to take the city since July," says Iryna, press officer of the 93rd Brigade. "Little by little they are winning now. They have more resources, so if they play the long game they will win. I can't say how long it will take.
"Maybe they will run out of resources. I really hope so."
We move from carefully concealed firing positions to bunkers humming with generators and warmed by stoves. But troops take care to conceal any smoke which could give away their location - part of the housekeeping of war. Among those we meet there is calm determination to fight on.
"They are trying to encircle us so that we leave the city, but it's not working," says Ihor, a camouflage-clad commander, with a battle-hardened edge. "The city is under control. Transport moves, despite constant artillery strikes. Of course, we have losses from our side, but we are holding on. We only have one option - to keep going to victory."
There is another option - to withdraw from Bakhmut before it's too late. But among the defenders on the ground there seems little appetite for that. "If we have such an order from our HQ, OK, order is order," says Captain Myhailo. "But what sense to hold all these months if you need to retreat from this city? No, we don't want to do this."
He recalls those who have given their lives for Bakhmut - "a lot of good brave men who just love this country."
And if the defenders of Bakhmut were to withdraw, it would pave the way for Russia to push towards bigger cities in eastern Ukraine like Kramatorsk and Slovyansk.
Moscow has stepped up its attacks in other front-line areas in the Donbas region in the east, and in the south. Ukrainian officials say a new Russian offensive is already under way.
The Kremlin is on a clock, as it counts down to the anniversary on 24 February. "They are mad about dates and so-called 'victory days'," says Capt Mykhailo.
But the battle of attrition for Bakhmut could wear out the Russians, according to Viktor, a tall, lean Ukrainian commander who has captured Russian magazines on a shelf in his bunker.
"They don't defend now," he says, "they just attack. They continue taking some metres, but we are trying to make sure they take as little of our land as possible. We are holding the enemy here and wearing them out."
Perhaps.
There is still some life in Bakhmut if you know where to find it.
A blast of heat and light hits you when you walk through the door of the "invincibility hub", past boxes of donated food supplies. It's a boxing club turned life-support system where local people can recharge their phones and themselves, with hot food and companionship.
It was crowded when we visited, with elderly women clustered around a stove, and two young boys sitting in the boxing ring, glued to a TV screen, and playing war games.
Around 5,000 civilians remain in Bakhmut without running water or power - many are elderly and poor. "Some are pro-Moscow. They are waiting for the Russians," a Ukrainian colleague mutters darkly.
All here are fighting their own battles says Tetiana, a 23-year-old psychologist who is at the hub watching over her young brother and sister. She's still in Bakhmut because her 86-year-old grandmother can't move and relies on her.
"Most people deal with it by praying to God," she says. "Faith helps. Some forget that they are people. Some show aggression. They start behaving worse than animals."
Back outside the battle for this broken city rages on, with a drum beat of shelling as we leave.
www.euronews.com/2023/02/12/russia-continues-to-close-in-...
Russia continues to close in on Bakhmut, claiming capture of nearby town
12/02/2023 - 15:18
The head of Russia's paramilitary Wagner group said on Sunday that his troops had taken the Ukrainian town of Krasna Hora, a few kilometres north of Bakhmut, a key city that Moscow has been trying to conquer for several months.
"Today, Wagner's assault units took the locality of Krasna Hora", Yevgeny Prigozhin was quoted as saying by his press service.
For more than six months, Wagner and the Russian army have been trying to capture Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine, a town of limited strategic importance but which has gained great symbolic significance because of the long duration of the fighting.
Russian forces have been trying to encircle the city for the past few weeks. They have managed to cut off several roads that are vital for the supply of Ukrainian troops.
www.euronews.com/2023/02/10/ukraine-war-russia-launches-m...
Ukraine war: Russia launches 'massive' drone and missile attack
Russian forces struck critical infrastructure in Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, and launched multiple strikes on energy infrastructure in Zaporizhzhia early Friday as Moscow stepped up its attacks in Ukraine’s south and east and air raid sirens went off across much of the country.
The strikes happened just one day after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskky visited several European countries, lobbying for long-range weapons. Kyiv says it's already submitted a request for F-16 fighter jets from the Netherlands.
Ukraine's military chief also confirmed two Russian cruise missiles flew over Moldova's airspace before entering Ukraine. The missiles were fired from the Black Sea, said Valery Zaluzhny.
Moldovan authorities corroborated the Ukrainian statement, but reports that Romania's airspace was also breached were not confirmed by Bucharest.
The Moldovan foreign ministry has summoned the Russian ambassador to protest "against the unacceptable violation of our airspace by a Russian missile," according to a statement.
Explosions in Kyiv, and power grids targeted
Several explosions were also heard in Kyiv as officials reported high-voltage facilities across Ukraine being hit by Russian air strikes.
According to the Ukrainian Air Force, Russia fired "six Kalibr cruise missiles", "up to 35 S-300 anti-aircraft guided missiles at the Kharkiv and Zaporizhia regions", and used "seven Shahed drones".
"Five Kalibr cruise missiles and five Shahed drones were destroyed" by the anti-aircraft defence, the air force said.
No casualties have been reported at this stage by Ukrainian authorities.
Ukraine's power grid operator Ukrenergo said that several facilities in eastern, southern and western Ukraine had been hit, causing disruption to power supply.
Zaporizhzhia City Council Secretary Anatolii Kurtiev said the city had been hit 17 times in one hour, which he said made it the most intense period of attacks since the beginning of the full-scale invasion in February 2022.
In Kharkiv, authorities were still trying to establish information on victims and scale of the destruction, with Mayor Ihor Terekhov saying there may be disruptions to heating and the electricity and water supply.
Military analysts say Russian President Vladimir Putin is hoping that Europe’s support for Ukraine will wane, as Russia is believed to be preparing a new offensive.
Fighting in Ukraine intensified Thursday. Kyiv’s military intelligence agency said Russian forces have launched an offensive in the partially occupied Donetsk and Luhansk regions, with the aim to grab full control of the entire industrial region, known as the Donbas. Moscow-backed separatists have been fighting Ukrainian forces there since 2014.