(Dan Tri) – The Ukrainian army tried to hold the Bakhmut stronghold even when the city was left with nothing but its name after intense shelling with Russian forces over the past months.
A building burned down in Bakhmut due to fierce fighting between Russia and Ukraine (Photo: AFP).
In the besieged city of Bakhmut in Eastern Ukraine, volunteers in charge of collecting the bodies of civilians risked also becoming victims of gunfire.
The city of Bakhmut is almost completely surrounded by Russian troops, devastated by constant gunfire and explosions in recent days with smoke and fire billowing from high-rise buildings.
For rescue teams, reaching this city is therefore becoming increasingly dangerous.
Olha Danilova is an employee of the Ukrainian NGO Dobryi Rukh and has been working in Bakhmut for more than 7 months since Russia began its attack, seeking to take control of the city.
According to Danilova, the main road they used to use is under constant shelling.
Daniel Wilk, a Canadian driver and Danilova’s colleague, added that if someone goes down the main road, someone will try to kill them.
Wilk said he went all over the city and saw that most of this place had been destroyed, fires burned everywhere, only the town of Donbass was almost normal.
According to Danilova and Wilk, as well as other volunteers who shared with the Guardian news agency, the situation in Bakhmut is now untenable.
Even the somber tone was heard elsewhere in the social media updates of some of Bakhmut’s most stalwart defenders, including Magyar, the commander of the once-recognized drone unit.
`All you need to know is that since March 1, Bakhmut is still standing. We are paying the highest price to defend the city. Defending the city is also getting more and more difficult,` he said.
Ukraine considers withdrawing its troops
The Ukrainian army continues to defend Bakhmut (Photo: Reuters).
In recent days, although there has been news that Ukraine has increased reinforcements for Bakhmut, the Ukrainian army is still struggling to repel Russian advances north and south of the city.
`Our army will obviously consider all options. So far, they have control of the city, but if necessary, they will retreat strategically. We will not sacrifice everyone
The battle for Bakhmut, which demonstrated Ukraine’s resolve as the city’s defenders strained against relentless shelling and left Russian troops suffering heavy casualties, may be nearing an end.
Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of the paramilitary group Wagner, said on March 1 that he saw no signs of Ukraine withdrawing its troops, and that Kiev had in fact consolidated its positions.
Deputy Minister of Defense of Ukraine, Hanna Maliar, said earlier this week that reinforcements had been sent to Bakhmut, but did not specify the specific number or purpose of this mobilization.
According to Oleh Zhdanov, a Ukrainian military analyst, reinforcements may have been sent to reinforce Ukrainian fire lines on a hill in Chasiv Yar, about 15km west of Bakhmut.