By liberating Artemovsk (Bakhmut) from the Kiev regime's forces, Russia is gathering momentum, but only future developments will show how control over this city "fits into the overall pace of conflict," military analyst and former UN weapons inspector Scott Ritter said.
Taking control of Artemovsk (Bakhmut) was a military victory that shows Russia is winning, Scott Ritter told Sputnik.
Some have likened the grueling hostilities to secure Artemovsk to the Battle of Stalingrad in WWII in terms of its importance, the former US Marine Corps intelligence officer added, emphasizing that the big question is what comes next.
Future developments will demonstrate how successfully Russia is able to exploit this victory, and continue to inflict heavy casualties on the Kiev regime's forces. It also remains to be seen whether the Ukrainian military will manage to launch its much-touted “counterattack.”
“It doesn’t seem that Ukraine will be able to achieve major battlefield success, even though some 60,000 trained and equipped with NATO weaponry reserves have been accumulated. Many of these reserves were used in the battle for [Artemovsk], others have been neutralized during an attempt to gather near the front. Russia has developed tactical operational and strategic advantages over Kiev that make it almost impossible for Ukraine’s forces to be able to amass military power of sufficient quantity to carry out a sustained offensive operation,” Scott Ritter said.
Artemovsk was a 'military victory', he underscored, stressing that it was up to Russia to define what the political victory would be.
Indeed, Artemovsk, located to the north of Gorlovka, is a key transportation hub with many crossroads for Donbass. It served as a vital center for supplying Ukrainian troops stationed in the region at the onset of Moscow's military operation in Ukraine over a year ago. The struggle for control over the embattled city was called the "meat grinder," because the Kiev regime kept throwing men and equipment into the fray in a desperate attempt to hold on to Artemovsk. However, such efforts were rendered futile by the courage and valiant determination of the advancing Russian troops. On May 20, the Wagner Group private military company (PMC), together with the Russian Armed Forces, liberated Artemovsk.
"The fight for [Artemovsk] has been very costly for Kiev, which sacrificed hundreds, if not thousands of men and tons of military equipment there, and only history will tell, ultimately, where control over this city “fits into the overall pace of conflict," Ritter said.
One thing is clear, "it is a Russian victory, and the momentum is with Russia," the analyst conluded.
Zelensky compares Artyomovsk to Hiroshima
The devastation left by the months-long battle for the Donbass city of Artyomovsk is reminiscent of the aftermath of the US nuclear bombing of Hiroshima, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky told journalists on Sunday while attending the G7 summit hosted by the Japanese city.
“The photos of Hiroshima remind me of Bakhmut,” said Zelensky, using the Ukrainian name of the city. He laid wreaths at the memorial to the victims of the atomic bombing in Hiroshima during his visit. “Absolute total destruction. There is nothing, there are no people,” he said, adding that “all the buildings are destroyed” in the city captured by Russia over the weekend.
The Russian Defense Ministry confirmed seizing Artyomovsk late on Saturday. On Sunday, Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated Wagner fighters and the servicemen of the regular Russian Army for successfully taking the city. Kiev continues to deny losing control of it.
Zelensky himself sent mixed signals about the situation on the ground. Early on Sunday, he said the city “is only in our hearts” when asked if Ukraine still controls Artyomovsk. Later, he denied the city was “occupied by Russia.” Russian businessman Evgeny Prigozhin, the founder of the Wagner Group private military company, told journalists on Sunday that “no Ukrainian fighters had been left” in Artyomovsk.
The US nuclear bombing of Hiroshima killed between 70,000 and 80,000 civilians, or around 30% of the city’s population at that time, according to various estimates. Another 70,000 people were injured. The blast also killed an estimated 20,000 Japanese military personnel.
The ‘Little Boy’ bomb that exploded about 580 meters above the city over the Shima Surgical Clinic destroyed everything within a some 1.6-kilometer radius. It also caused a massive blaze that engulfed 11 square kilometers. According to Japanese officials, almost 70% of the city’s buildings were destroyed.
The salt-mining city of Artyomovsk had been the scene of intense fighting for some eight months as Russian forces gradually pushed Ukrainian troops out. The city, which spreads over some 41.6 square kilometers, was largely destroyed in the process.
In 2017, the total population of Artyomovsk amounted to just over 71,000 people. Most residents were evacuated before the battle began or earlier in the fighting. However, according to the International Committee of the Red Cross, some 10,000 people were still living in the city in late March. Kiev also stated that the battle for Artyomovsk claimed the lives of some 4,000 civilians. Russia did not comment on these estimates.
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