Ukrainian troops regain positions near Bakhmut – ISW
Geolocation footage shows that Ukrainians launched a counterattack southwest of Bakhmut and regained lost ground south of Ivanivske.
As of March 31, Ukrainian troops regained positions around Bakhmut.
This was reported in a new report by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
“Ukrainian troops have regained positions around Bakhmut, and Ukrainian officials continue to emphasize the importance of continuing Ukraine’s defense in the area on March 31,” the report says.
The ISW, citing data from the Ukrainian General Staff, reported that Russian troops continued to storm the city of Bakhmut and conducted additional unsuccessful offensives northwest of the city in the area of Orikhovo-Vasylkivka.
Geolocation footage from March 31 shows that Ukrainian forces launched a counterattack southwest of Bakhmut and regained lost ground south of Ivanivske (approximately 7 kilometers southwest of the city).
The Institute’s report quoted Ukraine’s Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Malyar as saying on Friday that the dedicated defense of Bakhmut was Russia’s “most expensive” attempt at warfare. She added that “the time, weapons, equipment and huge losses spent by the enemy to capture Bakhmut do not justify themselves in terms of military expediency.”
Malyar’s statement confirms ISW’s assessment that the Ukrainian defense of Bakhmut remains strategically sound as long as Ukrainian forces force the Russians to withdraw manpower and equipment without incurring excessive losses on the part of the Ukrainian army.
The report also cites Colonel General Oleksandr Syrsky, the commander of the Ukrainian Army, as saying that Russian troops in certain areas of Bakhmut are visibly nervous because time is against them and they have fewer manpower to storm Ukrainian positions.
At the same time, the ISW notes that as of March 31, Russian troops continued offensive operations in and around Bakhmut and achieved some success in the city.
