Skip to content
Edit post

ISW: Russian forces unlikely to encircle Bakhmut soon

by The Kyiv Independent news desk March 5, 2023 5:24 AM 2 min read
Soldiers from a Ukrainian assault brigade enter a command bunker on March 04, 2023, near Bakhmut, Donetsk Oblast. (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images)
This audio is created with AI assistance

Support independent journalism in Ukraine. Join us in this fight.

Become a member Support us just once

Russian forces are unlikely to encircle Bakhmut soon, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said on March 4.

“Russian forces appear to have secured a sufficient positional advantage to conduct a turning movement against certain parts of Bakhmut but have not yet forced Ukrainian forces to withdraw and will likely not be able to encircle the city soon,” the ISW said in its daily report.

While Russian offensives into Bakhmut have reportedly been “slow and gradual,” they have, however, managed to “push close enough to critical ground lines of communication from the northeast to threaten Ukrainian withdrawal routes in a classical turning movement.”

How repurposed Russian air defense missiles expose holes in Ukraine’s sky

Earlier on March 4, Serhiy Cherevatyi, a spokesman for the eastern grouping of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, said Russian forces have not taken the city of Bakhmut. He said that fighting is ongoing on the outskirts of the beleaguered Ukrainian city.

On March 3, the ISW suggested that Ukrainian forces appeared to be preparing conditions for a planned withdrawal from the city. However, when asked about certain units’ withdrawal, Cherevatyi said that Ukrainian troops are rotating in and out of their positions in a planned manner.

Russian forces have been trying to take Bakhmut since May 2022 without success. The Donetsk Oblast city continues to see some of the war’s heaviest fighting since the full-scale invasion began.

Ukrainian forces in the town of Kostiantynivka told the Kyiv Independent that Russian attacks have intensified even more in the past several weeks. British intelligence said in its daily update that regular Russian forces and the Wagner Group mercenaries have advanced further into the town's northern suburbs. Ukraine is said to be reinforcing the area with elite units.

NATO commander in Europe: Russia's losses in Ukraine amount to over 200,000 troops
Support independent journalism in Ukraine. Join us in this fight.
Freedom can be costly. Both Ukraine and its journalists are paying a high price for their independence. Support independent journalism in its darkest hour. Support us for as little as $1, and it only takes a minute.
visa masterCard americanExpress

News Feed

Ukraine Daily
News from Ukraine in your inbox
Ukraine news
Please, enter correct email address
12:06 AM

Media: Rosatom's top manager arrested over suspicion of bribery.

The Basmanny court in Moscow arrested on March 28 Gennadiy Sakharov, Russian state nuclear energy company Rosatom's construction project director, due to the accusations of receiving a bribe in "a particularly large amount," Russian media outlet Kommersant reported.
8:30 PM

Shmyhal, Duda meet in Warsaw.

Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal met with Polish President Andrzej Duda on March 28, as part of his official visit to Warsaw.
7:38 PM

Zelensky, Speaker Johnson hold call.

President Volodymyr Zelensky and U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson held a phone call on March 28, Zelensky announced on social media.
MORE NEWS

Editors' Picks

Enter your email to subscribe
Please, enter correct email address
Subscribe
* indicates required
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required

Subscribe

* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required

Subscribe

* indicates required
Successfuly subscribed
Thank you for signing up for this newsletter. We’ve sent you a confirmation email.