Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has warned that if the Russian army takes over the fiercely contested city of Bakhmut, there will be “free rein” for further Russian conquests in eastern Ukraine. “We are aware that they could go further after Bakhmut,” said Zelensky in an interview with the US television channel CNN.
Russia needs “at least a small victory”, according to Zelenskyj – “even if it ruins everything in Bakhmut and kills all the civilians there”. If the attackers were able to raise their “little flag” in Bakhmut, it would help “mobilize their society to create the idea that they are such a powerful army,” the president said. In contrast, Bakhmut is of strategic importance for Ukraine. If the city fell, Russian troops would have “free rein to other Ukrainian cities, in the direction of Donetsk.”
In the CNN interview with well-known TV presenter Wolf Blitzer, scheduled to air on Wednesday, Zelenskyy said Ukrainian forces were determined to hold Bakhmut. “Everyone says that we have to stay strong in Bakhmut,” said Zelenskyy, referring to a meeting with the Ukrainian chief of staff and other army leaders on Tuesday.
Blitzer also asked the President about the alleged skepticism of some members of the Ukrainian military leadership, who fear that the high losses in the battle for Bakhmut could endanger the planned spring offensive. However, Zelenskyy replied that he had “never heard anything like it” from his commanders. Of course, Kiev should also think about the lives of its soldiers, said the Supreme Commander. “But while we wait for weapons and supplies and the army prepares for the counteroffensive, we must do everything in our power.”
Moscow meanwhile sticks to the capture of Bakhmut. On Tuesday, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu described a capture of the eastern Ukrainian city as crucial for the continuation of the Russian offensive. At a televised meeting with officials in his ministry, Shoigu said taking control of Bakhmut would “enable new offensive in-depth operations against the defense of Ukraine’s armed forces.”
Bachmut has been hotly contested since last summer. The city is now surrounded on three sides by Russian troops. In view of the bitter fighting that has been going on for months, the city now has a high symbolic importance. According to Ukrainian sources, less than 4,000 civilians remain in Bakhmut, while the city had 70,000 inhabitants before the war began.
Sources: AFP; CNN
