Top Ukrainian official explains why defending Bakhmut is important
Ukrainian military near Bakhmut, March 8, 2022 (Photo:REUTERS/Lisi Niesner)
The town of Bakhmut in Donetsk Oblast is an “important and key point” whose defense is of solely military importance, which explains why military staff will decide its destiny, Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, Oleksiy Danilov, told Radio Svoboda on March 17.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Valerii Zaluzhnyi, and Commander of the Ground Forces Oleksandr Syrskyi, along with other participants, reaffirmed the importance of the defense of Bakhmut at a High Command meeting on March 14.
"We understand that someone can get annoyed with this, while others believe that we should give up. But this is our soil, and we must defend it. If our military makes certain decisions, they will be discussed at the High Command meeting, and certain steps will be taken," Danilov said.
The Ukrainian army is killing "a huge number of terrorists" in Bakhmut and the town will remain a very important fortress for Ukraine "at least until other military actions begin," he said.
The defense of Bakhmut follows two main priorities for the Ukrainian Armed Forces:
▪ Preventing the enemy from systematically breaking through the Ukrainian defense;
▪ Inflicting maximum losses in personnel and equipment on the Russians, as well as exhausting enemy troops.
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