Bachmut, World War I meat grinder battlefield reappearance!

Bakhmut, a city in eastern Ukraine, has become the focus of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict. More than five months ago, after the Russian army captured North Donetsk and Lisichansk, it deployed heavy troops to win this important town. Five months later, it is still one of the focuses of the war between the two sides. The two sides have invested a lot of resources to compete inch by inch here, and the media exclaimed that it has become the battlefield of the meat grinder in World War I.

"Ukrainian troops near Bakhmut fought in the trenches of World War I," Russian television station Gravny reported. Bakhmut, known as Aljomovsk in Russia, was complained by Ukrainian militants in the front trenches near here that they had to fight in knee-deep mud.

According to the report, relevant photos are constantly coming out on major social platforms, which shows that the situation of soldiers in the Ukrainian armed forces is regrettable. Due to the deterioration of the weather, they were in the mud, and the trenches there were more reminiscent of the trenches in World War I.

The report also said that the Russian army continued to carry out special operations in this area. As we all know, in the direction of Arcomovsk, Russian armed forces wiped out the famous Ukrainian radical Dmitry Siddall, who is known by the pseudonym "Sunset".

How tragic is the situation in Bachmut? The New York Times also reported in detail on 27th.

"In the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, for nearly an hour, Ukrainian casualties seemed endless: ambulances, armored personnel carriers and private vehicles roared one after another and moved out of the wounded in front of the only military hospital in the city." The New York Times said that a soldier walked into the hospital gate with blood on his face with the help of his comrades. The dark green stretcher waiting for him is one of several stretchers still stained with blood.

According to the report, by noon on the 25th, doctors had counted 50 wounded people, many of whom were soldiers. The situation the day before was even worse: 240 people were taken to hospital due to gunshot wounds, shrapnel injuries and concussion.

A Ukrainian soldier said that his troops were retreating when he was forced to hit a shell and blow it up. At the same time, another Ukrainian army in other areas of Bakhmut is attacking a Russian position.

A soldier of the 7 1 Brigade of the Ukrainian army said that he was injured in the leg by a Grenade while advancing towards the trench of the Russian army. This Grenade was either thrown by a drone or fired by a Russian Grenade launcher.

"Ukrainian soldiers who just came out of the front line huddled in front of the hospital, with mud spots on their faces, uniforms and weapons, and their pants soaked by rain," The New York Times said, adding that cold temperatures and muddy trenches also caused injuries to both sides. Doctors at Bakhmut Hospital said that hypothermia and trench foot were common skin diseases in the Ukrainian army, which were caused by long-term immersion in cold water.

In recent months, Ukraine has taken some initiatives on the battlefield, recovering the Kharkov region and the southern city of Hellson. But Bakhmut, located in Donbass, Ukraine, is still a huge meat grinder that devours the lives of soldiers from both countries. For several months, as the Russians desperately tried to capture the city and the Ukrainians tried to hold it, both sides invested a lot of troops and materials here. The result was almost catastrophic. This city, which once had a population of about 70,000, has gradually fallen into ruins.

From the western point of view, the Russian army's "attempt to seize the city" is confusing-in other places on the 600-mile front, most Russian soldiers are digging trenches for the winter to consolidate their positions and protect resources.

This summer, after the Russian army captured the neighboring Lugansk, the capture of Bakhmut seemed to be a natural move for Russia to capture the Donbass region. As long as this city is captured, it will be a step towards capturing two more important cities in Donetsk-Slavyansk and Kramatorsk. However, considering that the Russian army has experienced a series of setbacks in the past few months, especially after the Kharkov region lost its foothold, this goal seems unlikely to be achieved now.

The fact is that Bakhmut has quickly become the main direction of action in Moscow recently. Ukrainian soldiers said that the troops recently mobilized by the Russian army were sent here to try to surround the city from the east and south.

The New York Times said that the recent battlefield progress around Bakhmut was measured by yards, not miles. Every day, Russian and Ukrainian troops advance or retreat, often at the cost of blood to obtain minimum benefits.

Both sides consume not only manpower but also materials.

"During my six months in Bakhmut, I have never seen our artillery work like this," said a Ukrainian soldier at the front, referring to the number of shells fired by Ukraine.

U.S. Department of Defense officials said that one of the concerns of the Pentagon is that the speed at which Ukrainians fire ammunition is unsustainable, especially in Bakhmut and other places. They mistakenly believe that the supply of ordnance in western countries is unlimited.

Since July, the war in Bakhmut has evolved into a war of attrition, and its strategic significance has also changed. The New York Times analyzed that even though Russian hopes of occupying more territory here have weakened, it may still make it a resource black hole in Kiev, forcing Ukraine to allocate troops and war resources from other priorities, which may include future attacks.

This may be what the west is worried about. But in fact, the situation is not clear now, and both sides can only insist on it at present.

Extended reading:

Media: Winter is officially coming, and five key issues of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict have surfaced.

165438+1On October 27th, the weather in Kiev, the capital of Ukraine, was "snowy, with a temperature of 0- 1 Celsius".

Winter has really come.

Since the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, western weapons have helped Ukraine win local counterattacks on the eastern and southern fronts, but Russia still controls about 20% of Ukraine's territory. At the same time, Russian air strikes that destroyed energy and power systems in various parts of Ukraine continued.

As the Russian-Ukrainian military conflict entered the winter, five key issues surfaced:

1. How will winter affect the battle process?

The conflict has entered the first month of 10. With the deterioration of weather and outdoor conditions, fighting is expected to decrease in general.

Colin Carr, US Deputy Secretary of Defense, said last week that "the bad weather in Ukraine" had begun to slow down the fighting, and muddy weather made it difficult for the warring sides to launch a large-scale attack.

He told reporters: "I think this challenge will become more severe in the next few weeks. We must see if the fighting will slow down."

According to the Pentagon, in response to the severe winter, the United States has provided the Ukrainian army with cold protection equipment, including tens of thousands of snowcoats, wool hats, boots and gloves, as well as generators and tents.

Second, will cold become a "weapon"?

Capitol Hill believes that the Russian army is weaponizing the cold. Last week, Russia launched air strikes on the infrastructure of major Ukrainian cities such as Kiev and Lviv. The head of the Ukrainian electric power company said on the 26th that at present there is no thermal power plant or hydropower station in Ukraine intact.

According to Al Jazeera reported on the 27th, Kiev Mayor Kritchenko said on the telegraph channel that 90% of residential buildings in the Ukrainian capital have resumed heating and water supply has been restored to every household. However, a quarter of the city's residents still have no electricity supply. According to the weather forecast, there will be heavy snow in Kiev on the evening of the 27th, the temperature will drop below zero, and the snowfall will last until the middle of this week.

Kiev residents lined up in the snow to get food.

Kruger, director of the European region of the World Health Organization, said that Ukraine's medical system is expected to suffer a heavy blow in winter. As the weather gets colder, two to three million people may be displaced in the coming months.

There is also a general view that when NATO countries are forced to burn firewood to keep warm, they will begin to shake NATO's support for Ukrainians. Cold may not be a weapon, but energy is.

Third, can Russia make progress on the Eastern Front?

The British Ministry of Defence issued a tweet on the 27th, saying that in the past two weeks, there was a fierce battle between two towns in Donetsk province in eastern Ukraine. Both Russia and Ukraine have invested a lot of money. "Fierce wars may continue to break out in this region in the future, partly because Russia believes that this region may become the starting point for future northward attacks and then seize the rest of Donetsk controlled by Ukraine."

Reports show that the struggle in Donetsk has escalated in the past week. According to western observers, this is because the withdrawal of Russian troops from southern Hellson will inevitably send more troops and weapons to the east.

Putnik News Agency & Radio reported on 27th that Ukrainian troops shelled Donetsk and Yasinovataya from midnight on 26th to early morning on 27th, firing nine shells. These include 155 mm caliber shells in active service in NATO countries.

Fourth, how many Russian recruits can fight?

On the eve of Russian Mother's Day,1October 25th, 165438+ Putin met with 17 military mothers who participated in special military operations in Ukraine. He said that the mother's upbringing of her children is the main foundation of Russia's existence and the history of the whole country. Putin also said that Russia will definitely achieve the goal of military operations in Ukraine.

More than two months ago, Putin announced the recruitment of 300,000 reservists. Western media generally estimate that it will take at least a few months for these reservists to be trained, equipped and sent to the battlefield.

However, the American War Research Institute recently released a report that the first batch of new Russian troops have completed training and have been deployed in Zaporoge, Lugansk and Donetsk in eastern Ukraine. The report also said that "Russian troops may continue to use mobilized and redeployed soldiers to re-launch offensive operations in Donetsk and maintain defensive positions in Lugansk."

Last Friday, when meeting with military mothers, Putin said that under the framework of partial mobilization, there is no need to recruit soldiers. The Hill newspaper said that with the development of the conflict in the direction of protracted war, the possibility of a "second wave" of military mobilization in Moscow in June+February, 5438 and June+10/October next year could not be ruled out.

Fifth, can the two sides have a dialogue?

Mili, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, said that Ukraine's military victory in "driving Russian troops out of Ukraine, including Crimea" was "not high". A week ago, Millie said at a meeting in new york that both sides should admit that military victory is impossible and the war must be ended through negotiations.

However, Kirby, the strategic communication coordinator of the White House National Security Council, told reporters last week that only Ukrainian President Zelensky can decide when he is ready to talk to the Russians. "No one in the United States is pushing, urging or pushing him to sit at the negotiating table."

So far, neither Russia nor Ukraine has sent a clear signal of negotiation, but the posture of the United States watching the fire from the other side is very clear.

Perhaps there should be a sixth key question: as the Russian-Ukrainian conflict enters the winter, what choices will taxpayers in the United States and the European Union face? Are you still willing to donate the money that should have been spent on children to military enterprises?