The survival battle of Ukrainian frontline soldiers in the "death zone" of Bakhmut

Ukrainian soldiers fight on the Bakhmut front line (Photo: Getty).

Just days before returning to combat in Bakhmut, Volodymyr, a Ukrainian soldier, said he felt unprepared.

“When they took us to Bakhmut, I knew I might not return,” Volodymyr told the Kyiv Independent news agency in Kramatorsk, a city in Donetsk province about 25km west of the front line.

Volodymyr, an infantryman with Ukraine's 93rd Mechanized Brigade, said he struggled to eat normally after fighting in Bakhmut for months.

For two months, Volodymyr's unit was tasked with defending Bakhmut as small Russian assault groups advanced on the city. His brigade came under constant mortar fire as the soldiers fought in the open.

"Russia kept firing at us, but we had no artillery, so we had nothing to hit them back with. I didn't know if I could return," Volodymyr said.

Ukrainian infantrymen described the fighting in Bakhmut as a test of survival against superior Russian weapons and manpower. Armed with only machine guns and rifles, Ukrainian soldiers said they had to withstand mortar and artillery attacks until their last pockets of cover were destroyed.

Volodymyr was haunted by the thought of his comrades' deaths in Bakhmut. "I knew he was dead, but I kept wrapping his head in bandages," Volodymyr said of a 29-year-old comrade.

Volodymyr's story is not the only harrowing account of what Ukrainian soldiers faced as they defended Bakhmut.

Eight months after the battle for Bakhmut broke out, Ukraine faces growing concerns about defending the ruined city.

Ukrainian forces fire artillery towards Russian targets in Bakhmut (Photo: Getty).

With Russian forces all but encircling Bakhmut and advancing on the city, Ukraine is paying a heavy price for holding this eastern fortress. A Ukrainian withdrawal from Bakhmut would hand Russia its first major victory since July 2022.

Speaking to the Kyiv Independent in the nearby town of Kostyantynivka in early March, Senior Lieutenant Oleksandr said he was not aware of any plans for a Ukrainian withdrawal from Bakhmut, but admitted the situation was tense “everywhere”.

Oleksandr said Russia had put a lot of pressure on the Ukrainian army to push it back from Bakhmut. The fiercest fighting was taking place north of the city. Oleksandr also said that a lack of weapons and equipment such as armored personnel carriers was making it difficult for the Ukrainian army to hold the city.

According to Mykola, a staff sergeant of the 28th Mechanized Brigade, Russian forces outnumber Ukrainian forces by two to three to one on the Bakhmut front, with about 20,000 to 30,000 soldiers fighting in the area. Mykola said that if Russia continues to maintain its current pace of attack, Bakhmut could fall in just a few weeks.

"The situation is very difficult now because Russia has already felt the taste (of victory in Bakhmut)," Mykola said.

Valeriy, a Ukrainian infantryman, said many of his fallen comrades were seriously wounded by gunfire.

"It's sad that probably 90% of our casualties were from artillery or tanks and planes. The Russians had a lot of weapons. They were firing at us all the time. There were times when we could hear artillery fire every second," Valeriy described the battle in Bakhmut.

As Russia sends more forces from the private military organization Wagner to fight in Bakhmut, tensions around the city continue to escalate to unprecedented levels. Ukrainian military leaders have revealed that a complete withdrawal from Bakhmut is being considered, but such a decision will only be made if necessary.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-gioi/tran-chien-song-con-cua-linh-tien-tuyen-ukraine-o-tu-dia-bakhmut-20230316082738189.htm