Ukraine Clings To Bakhmut; US To Send New Military Aid

Ukraine says Bakhmut has limited strategic value but has nevertheless put up fierce resistance.

This video grab taken from a shooting by AFPTV shows an aerial view of smoke and destructions during fighting in the city of Bakhmut on February 27, 2023. ( Image Source :AFP )

New Delhi: Ukrainian forces who are clinging to the eastern city of Bakhmut dug new trenches to hold back the Russian attackers. Russia has been attacking Bakhmut in Donetsk province for months, and some of these attacks come in waves.

"In the past 24 hours, our forces have repelled more than 170 attacks, an unprecedented number over a 24-hour period for the five principal sectors of the front line," Ukrainian military analyst Oleh Zhdanov said on YouTube on Thursday night.

Russian troops, bolstered by mercenaries of the Wagner private army, have been advancing north and south of the city to cut it off.

Zhdanov further said that western approaches to the city “is probably the only part of the Bakhmut sector where our forces, rather than the Russian occupiers, have the initiative."

Russia, which lost territory in the second half of 2022, says taking Bakhmut would be a step towards seizing the rest of the surrounding industrial region known as the Donbas. Ukraine says the city has limited strategic value but it is exhausting Russia’s invasion force.

New trenches had been dug on the roadside 20-40 metres apart in nearby towns and villages, a sign that Ukrainian forces were strengthening defensive positions.

Ukraine says Bakhmut has limited strategic value but has nevertheless put up fierce resistance.

Meanwhile, the United States has said it will discuss new military aid for Ukraine at a meeting with Germany's leader on Friday.

Washington will announce a new $400 million military aid package for the Kyiv government, and is expected to be a major topic between US President Joe Biden and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz when they meet at the White House, officials were reported as saying as Reuters.

The package, the sources said on Thursday, is expected to contain more Guided Multiple Launch Rockets (GMLRS) for HIMARS launchers, ammunition for the Bradley Fighting Vehicles, as well as armored vehicle launched bridges.

The US has provided nearly $32 billion in weapons to Ukraine to defend itself against Russia, after the Russian invasion on February 24, 2022.