Kyiv.
According to US figures, 20,000 Russian soldiers were killed in Bakhmut in five months. Also because there is a lack of clever war tactics.
Moscow’s raid on the Ukraine has claimed far more casualties among the Russian armed forces than the ten-year Soviet war in Afghanistan since December alone. According to an estimate by US intelligence services, more than 20,000 Russian soldiers have been killed in fighting over the past five months – the majority of them apparently in the bitter battle for the industrial city of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine.
The horrendous toll of blood could lead to the success of the upcoming Ukrainian Gegenoffensive contribute. The Battle of Bakhmut has become a symbol of the brutality of this war like no other. Ukrainian soldiers who fought there describe it as hell on earth.
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A young officer told our editorial office that he had seen Russian soldiers trudge over the bodies of their dead comrades directly into Ukrainian anti-aircraft fire. But he also lost three of the 20 men under his command in just two weeks, the Ukrainian explained.
In Bachmut it was primarily the fighters of the Wagner mercenary group who died
The pictures from Bachmut are reminiscent of the pictures from the trench warfare of the First World War. However, the Russian armed forces have suffered heavy losses in other regions in recent months – for example in Avdiivka, Marjinka or Wuhledar.
In Bachmut mostly soldiers die Wagner mercenaries. Many of the men sent into battle there are ex-convicts who have been recruited with the prospect of early release. But they only received rudimentary training.
Tactics consist of mass use of men and material
Wagner boss has long criticized his men for not being sufficiently informed by the military leadership Moscow supported and suffered from a lack of ammunition. On Tuesday, he reported on his Telegram channel that his mercenaries advanced 120 meters in Bakhmut, but lost 86 men in the process.
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Gustav Gressel, a military expert at the Berlin think tank European Council on Foreign Relations, considers the estimates by the US secret services to be realistic. He also attributes the extremely high Russian losses to the fact that the Russian Armed Forces partly incapable of waging war tactically in any other way than with the sheer mass deployment of men and material.
The Russians have suffered heavy losses of officers and specialists
On the other hand, the political pressure is enormous. “Putin has no military experience, but sets strict timelines and expects successes on the battlefield,” Gressel said. According to Gressel, the high number of casualties among the Russian armed forces could influence the course of the coming Ukrainian counter-offensive. “They are no longer able to secure the long front in depth with the necessary manpower,” believes the military expert.
In addition, they would have Russians suffered high losses of officers and specialists, especially in the infantry and armored forces. However, it is not clear whether the Ukrainians could benefit from this, Gressel concedes. After all, the Ukrainian armed forces had “significantly worn out” in the defensive battles.
Ukraine war – background and explanations for the conflict
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