The losses of the Russian army associated with the capture of the city are greater than any operational advantage, analysts insist.
The Russian campaign near Bakhmut shows that the Russian army has not learned the lessons of previous military operations and continues to suffer losses that are not worth any advantage that the capture of the city would bring. This was announced by the American Institute for the Study of War (ISW) in a report on November 30.
It is noted that since the end of May, the Russian troops have been constantly expending combat forces in small settlements around Bakhmut and have advanced several kilometers in six months.
“Russian efforts to advance on Bakhmut led to constant depletion of manpower and equipment, as a result of which troops were stuck in relatively insignificant settlements for weeks and months. The pattern of these operations is very reminiscent of the previous attempts of the Russian Federation. to take Severodonetsk and Lysichansk at the beginning of the war,” – said analysts.
According to ISW estimates, in June and July of this year, the Armed Forces of Ukraine ensured that Russian troops focused their efforts on Severodonetsk and Lysychansk, which have limited operational and strategic importance, benefiting from continuous that destruction of Russian manpower and equipment.
“Russian troops eventually captured Lisichansk and Severodonetsk and reached the border of the Luhansk region, but this tactical victory had little operational impact, as the Russian offensive in the east reached its climax. Russian efforts in this area have largely stalled, as they did in early July. Although Russian forces continue to advance towards and into Bakhmut, and even force a controlled withdrawal of Ukrainians from the city (as they did in Lysichansk), Bakhmut itself offers them little operational advantage,” the report said..
The costs associated with six months of brutal, hard fighting and grueling fighting around Bakhmut far outweighed any operational advantage the Russians might gain from taking Bakhmut.
The Russian offensive around Bakhmut will absorb most of the available combat power, potentially facilitating the continuation of Ukrainian counteroffensives elsewhere.
It was previously reported that the advance of Russian troops around Bakhmut is unlikely to have an impact at the operational level and will not be rapid.
500 injured in two days. The battles for Bakhmut continue
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Source: korrespondent
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