Russia Suffered 100,000 Casualties and Advanced Only 60 Feet Per Day in 'Pointless' Nine-month Battle for Bakhmut
Vladimir Putin’s forces reportedly suffered more than 100,000 casualties and advanced only 60 feet per day in their nearly 300-day offensive against the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, RadarOnline.com has learned.
In a striking development to come nine months after Putin’s military first targeted Bakhmut on August 1, Russia claimed this weekend that they have officially seized control of the 16-square-mile salt-mining city.
But while Putin’s forces claimed to have seized control of Bakhmut on Saturday, defense officials have claimed the small city in eastern Ukraine has "limited operational value" and that the nearly 300-day battle for the territory was “pointless” due to the devastating casualties Russia suffered during the nine-month offensive.
"The offensive potential of the enemy has been significantly reduced, huge losses have been inflicted on the enemy, we have gained time for certain actions, which will be revealed later," Ukrainian Deputy Defense Chief Hanna Maliar said on Monday.
"It was almost like the Ukrainians just took advantage of the fact that, actually, the Russian lines were weak,” added Phillips O'Brien, a professor of strategic studies.
"The Russian army has suffered such high losses and is so worn out around Bakhmut that it cannot go forward anymore,” he added.
Meanwhile, Ukraine's deputy defense minister acknowledged that Russia seized control of parts of Bakhmut but denied reports that the Ukrainian military abandoned the city and retreated.
"The fighting continues," Ganna Malyar said this weekend. "The battle for the dominant heights on the flanks – north and south of the suburbs – continues."
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As RadarOnline.com previously reported, the battle for Bakhmut – which has been dubbed the “bloodiest battle” yet in the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian war – was mostly fought between Ukraine’s military and Russian mercenaries under the command of Putin’s mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin.
Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense estimated that Prigozhin’s mercenary group suffered more than 100,000 casualties, with more than 20,000 Russian mercenaries dead, as a result of the 300-day battle.
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Prigozhin has since revealed that the surviving members of his Wagner Mercenary Group have created “defense lines” on Bakhmut’s western outskirts in preparation for a planned “transfer of control” to Putin’s military.
"If the [Russian] ministry of defense does not have enough personnel, we have thousands of generals," the mercenary warlord said regarding the devastating losses also suffered by Putin’s troops.