Ukrainian Officer: I See Two Options For Development Of Situation In Bakhmut

The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine is full of surprises.

In Ukraine, to this day, the Bakhmut direction remains the most fierce sector of the front. How can the situation in Bakhmut and its environs develop in the near future? The Charter97.org website talked about this with a veteran of the Russian-Ukrainian war, reserve major of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksiy Hetman.

— The enemy ran into the Bakhmutka River, which is more like a canal. The Russians cannot cross it because they do not have the opportunity to build pontoon crossings. They will be destroyed immediately, let alone building some serious bridges.

They also cannot swim across in a bulletproof vest with a machine gun and in a helmet. As long as we keep this river under fire control, even with small arms, they will not be able to cross it. What happens next depends on how much they strengthen the grouping located there, adding artillery, mortars and tanks there. If they can increase by 2-3 times not even the number of people, but weapons, then it will be very difficult to keep Bakhmut.

— Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine Oleksiy Danilov said that what the Ukrainian military is doing now in the Bakhmut direction will be very useful for Ukraine and the army in the near future. What did he mean?

— I think he meant that in this way we hold back very large enemy forces. I do not think that a counteroffensive will be prepared right in Bakhmut. Although, you know, thank God we cannot clearly predict the decisions of our General Staff. They are always unexpected, one might say, creative and productive.

Danilov said in plain text that Bakhmut today is no longer just, as for Russians, an important political place, but also a military facility, which we plan to use in the future. There can be only two options here. First, we hold the defenses and tie down large enemy forces. Second, we are preparing to conduct a counter-offensive operation there. There are no other options — either attack or defense.

— There are already more than five private armies operating in Russia. It is in Bakhmut that the Armed Forces of Ukraine are now grinding one of them — the Wagner PMC. In your opinion, how will these private military companies affect the future of the Russian Federation?

— I will say that it is known for sure that Sergei Shoigu has one PMC. It just doesn't fit that the Minister of Defense organized his own private army. This can only happen in Russia. The country is unique in the bad sense of the word.

I hope that in Russia, after we carry out a counteroffensive and they lose large occupied territories (especially the Crimean peninsula), some kind of centripetal actions will begin. Then everyone who wants to stay in power under the old or new system, which is unlikely to be different, but the faces will be new, will need to have a reserve of armed people who, if anything, will be able to resolve political and military issues. I think this is what PMCs are created for. Some say that they are organized in order to somehow change the situation on the front line, but I would rather believe in fairy tales about Ivan the Fool.

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