Russia's Grinding Bakhmut Advance a 'Symbol' of Offensive Inability: Kyiv
NewsweekFeb 12, 2023
Russia's defense ministry said on Monday that its troops had managed to advance a few kilometers west in four days of fighting, without specifying where the advances were made. The claim couldn't be independently confirmed.
Meanwhile, Ukraine's military made no mention of any Russian advances but reported heavy shelling along the frontline on Monday — including the Donetsk city of Bakhmut where fighting remains the heaviest.
Russia's inability to take the Donetsk city of Bakhmut is symbolic of its wider deficiencies that will prevent it from conducting further successful offensives in Ukraine.
Russian forces continue to make advances in the Donetsk. It's only a matter of time before they take the city of Bakhmut and the remainder of the Donetsk region.
There is a 2% chance that Ukraine will officially recognize a former Ukrainian territory (Luhansk, Donetsk or Crimea) as independent before 2024, according to the Metaculus prediction community.