MADRID, 5 Mar. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Ukrainian Defense Minister, Oleksi Reznikov, has assured that the Russian Army is losing up to “500 troops a day” in its offensive against the city of Bakhmut, in the east of the country, and the scene of a very harsh siege by Russia.
“The losses of the Russians amount to 500 dead and wounded every day,” the Ukrainian minister assured the Sunday weekly of the newspaper ‘Bild’, in an interview in which he described the Russian military as “cannon fodder” in the “meat mincing tactics” used by Moscow.
The casualty figures for the Russian offensive in Bakhmut have not been able to be independently verified. It has been confirmed, however, and according to the Kremlin itself, that Russian forces have redoubled their attacks against the city in recent days.
In fact, the Wagner mercenary unit is particularly active in the area. Its leader, Yevgeni Prigozhin, has assured that his activity around the place has increased, while local NGOs, such as Russia behind bars, denounce the wear and tear among their ranks.
As Reznikov has explained, the city is “a symbolic place for the Russians,” which is why they are making such efforts to capture it. Strategically, and according to the experts of the German newspaper, the conquest of the city would not mean, in principle, any significant advance.
Ukraine seems to have decided that the city has to become a wear point. The country’s president, Volodomir Zelensky, has spoken on several occasions about the “Bajmut fortress”, although in recent days he has openly acknowledged the possibility of losing the city.
According to the British Ministry of Defense, Russian forces and Wagner mercenaries have taken control of the north of the city in recent hours after destroying two bridges, including one essential for transporting supplies, from Bakhmut to the city of Chasiv. Yar.
Bakhmut, which once housed 74,000 inhabitants, is now largely destroyed. Authorities estimate that around 5,000 civilians still live there.