Headline RoundupMarch 4th, 2023

Russian Forces Close In On Bakhmut

Summary from the AllSides News Team

After months of intense fighting, Russian forces are close to fully capturing the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut.

The Details: Russian forces, including many mercenaries from the Wagner Group, are nearing full encirclement of the Ukrainian mining town of Bakhmut, after seven months of intense fighting. Ukrainian officials have been instructing the few remaining civilians to leave via the one evacuation route still controlled by Ukrainian forces.

For Context: Russia's first notable battlefield gain since the capture of Soledar, Bakhmut is strategically important for capturing the Donbas industrial region, one of Moscow's key objectives. It's also a significant win for Wagner CEO Yevgeniy Prigozhin, who has been critical of the Russian state’s military strategy and recently accused top Kremlin brass Valery Gerasimov and Sergei Shoigu of “treason”.

Key Quotes: The US Institute for the Study of War has concluded, “Ukrainian forces appear to be setting conditions for a controlled fighting withdrawal from parts of Bakhmut.” Volodymyr Nazarenko, a deputy commander in the National Guard of Ukraine said, “The task of our forces in Bakhmut is to inflict as many losses on the enemy as possible… There are many more Russians here than we have ammunition to destroy them.”

How The Media Covered It: Sources across the spectrum covered the events similarly.

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