Battle of Bakhmut

For the 2014 battle in the city under its former name, see Battle of Artemivsk.

Battle of Bakhmut
Part of the eastern Ukraine campaign in the Russian invasion of Ukraine
Battle of Bakhmut 2022
View of western Bakhmut in April 2023
Date3 July 2022[b] – 20 May 2023[c] (10 months, 2 weeks and 3 days)
Location
Bakhmut, Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine
48°35′N 38°0′E / 48.583°N 38.000°E / 48.583; 38.000
Result Russian victory – see § Result
Belligerents
 Ukraine
Commanders and leaders
Russia Yevgeny Prigozhin[1][2] Oleksandr Syrskyi[3]
Units involved
Casualties and losses
Estimates vary, see § Military casualties
204 Bakhmut residents killed (4 children), 505 injured (17 children)[9]

The battle of Bakhmut was a major battle between the Russian Armed Forces and the Ukrainian Armed Forces for control of the city of Bakhmut, during the eastern Ukraine campaign, a theatre of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.[10] It is regarded by some military analysts to be the bloodiest battle since the end of World War II.[11][12]

While the shelling of Bakhmut began in May 2022, and the battle being considered to have begun in early July with Russian offensives on the distant approaches to the city,[13][14][15] the main assault towards the city itself started on 1 August after Russian forces advanced from the direction of Popasna following a Ukrainian withdrawal from that front.[16] The main assault force consisted primarily of mercenaries from the Russian paramilitary organization Wagner Group, supported by regular Russian troops and reportedly Donetsk People's Republic militia elements.[5][17][4]

In late 2022, following Ukraine's Kharkiv and Kherson counteroffensives, the Bakhmut–Soledar front became an important focus of the war, being one of the few front lines where Russia remained on the offensive.[18] Attacks on the city intensified in November 2022, as assaulting Russian forces were reinforced by units redeployed from the Kherson front, together with newly mobilized recruits.[19][20] By this time, much of the front line had descended into positional trench warfare, with both sides suffering high casualties without any significant advances.[21] By using repeated assaults composed of former convicts, Wagner troops were able to gradually gain ground.[22][23] and by February 2023, they captured territory in the north and south of Bakhmut and threatened encirclement, forcing Ukrainian forces to slowly pull out into the city,[24][25] and the battle turned into fierce urban warfare.[24] By March 2023, Russian forces captured the eastern half of the city, up to the Bakhmutka river, and continued to advance into Ukrainian-controlled parts of Bakhmut.[26][27]

On 20 May 2023, Bakhmut had been mostly captured by Russian forces,[28][29][30] with the Ukrainian military claiming control of a small strip of the city proper along the T0504 highway.[31][32][33] Nonetheless, Ukraine started counterattacks on Russia's flanks, seeking to encircle the city.[34] Around the same time on 25 May, Wagner began withdrawing from the city to be replaced by regular Russian troops,[35] amidst heavy internal squabbles between Wagner leadership and Russian high command.[36][37] In September 2023, President Zelensky said Ukraine would continue to fight to retake Bakhmut.[38]

Although, initially a target with lesser tactical importance,[39] Bakhmut became one of the central battles of the Russo-Ukrainian War, with it gaining significant symbolic importance for both sides, as President Zelensky declared it to be the "fortress of our morale",[40] and due to the heavy investment of manpower and resources both sides used to control the city.[41][42] The battle of Bakhmut has been described as a "meat grinder" and a "vortex" for both the Ukrainian and Russian militaries.[43][44] The intensity of the battle and the high number of casualties suffered by both sides during the fight, alongside the trench and urban warfare, has drawn comparisons to the Battle of Verdun in World War I,[45][46][47] as well as to the Battle of Stalingrad in World War II.[48][49][50] It has been called the most prominent urban battle of the war,[51] with it being reported as the site of "some of the fiercest urban combat in Europe since World War II".[52]


Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).

  1. ^ Marée, Koen (7 January 2023). "Wagner-baas Prigozjin: Bachmoet veroveren vanwege 'ondergrondse steden'" [Wagner boss Prigozhin: conquering Bakhmut because of 'underground cities']. NRC (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 8 January 2023. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
  2. ^ "Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, 30 June, 2023". The Institute for the Study of War. Retrieved 5 July 2023.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference Syrskyi was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ a b Higgins, Andrew; Bigg, Matthew Mpoke (6 November 2022). "Russia Looks to Private Militia to Secure a Victory in Eastern Ukraine". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 28 November 2022. Retrieved 29 November 2022.
  5. ^ a b Axe, David (25 October 2022). "A Fierce Ukrainian Mechanized Brigade Is Routing Russian Mercenaries In One Symbolic Eastern Town". Forbes. Archived from the original on 26 October 2022. Retrieved 26 October 2022.
  6. ^ "Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, May 20, 2023". Institute for the Study of War. 20 May 2023. Archived from the original on 29 June 2023. Retrieved 17 July 2023.
  7. ^ Ніде на фронті не пасуємо перед ворогом, на визначених ділянках готуємо майбутні успіхи – звернення Президента України [Nowhere on the front are we grazing in front of the enemy, in certain areas we are preparing future successes – address of the President of Ukraine]. President of Ukraine. 18 November 2022. Archived from the original on 25 November 2022. Retrieved 16 December 2022.
  8. ^ "Video of a Milan ATGM strike in the Bakhmut area by members of the Kastus Kalinouski regiment on a Russian position". 22 February 2023. Archived from the original on 22 February 2023.
  9. ^ "Mayor: 204 Bakhmut residents killed, 505 injured since start of full-scale invasion". 31 May 2023.
  10. ^
  11. ^ Zafra, Mariano; McClure, Jon (21 December 2023). "Uncovering the extensive destruction of Bakhmut in a new detailed analysis". Reuters. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
  12. ^ "The Battle For Bakhmut: The Bloodiest Infantry Brawl Since World War II". www.rferl.org. 6 April 2023. Retrieved 21 February 2024.
  13. ^ Stepanenko, Kateryna; Bailey, Riley; Barros, George; Wolkov, Nicole; Philipson, Layne; Kagan, Frederick W. (30 March 2023). "Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, March 30, 2023". Institute for the Study of War. Retrieved 23 March 2024. since the Battle of Bakhmut began in July 2022.
  14. ^ Farrell, Francis; Storozhenko, Stanislav (21 May 2023). "Russia takes Bakhmut: Taking stock of the war's bloodiest battle so far". The Kyiv Independent. Retrieved 24 March 2024. Russia's slow advance on Bakhmut began back in July 2022, after the fall of nearby Lysychansk in Luhansk Oblast.
  15. ^ Донбас.Реалії. "Битва за Бахмут. Хроніка оборони міста-фортеці (оновлюється)". Радіо Свобода (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 24 March 2024. Росія активно штурмує Бахмут та населені пункти на підступах до нього з липня 2022 року (Russia has been actively storming Bakhmut and the settlements on the approaches to it since July 2022).
  16. ^ Cite error: The named reference :0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  17. ^ Landry, Carole (28 November 2022). "Russia's Battle for Bakhmut". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 2 December 2022. Retrieved 2 December 2022.
  18. ^ Cite error: The named reference :3 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  19. ^ Gibbons-Neff, Thomas; Yermak, Natalia; Hicks, Tyler (27 November 2022). "In Ukraine, Bakhmut Becomes a Bloody Vortex for 2 Militaries". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 28 November 2022. Retrieved 29 November 2022.
  20. ^ Vasilyeva, Nataliya (17 November 2022). "Heavy fighting in eastern Ukraine raises fears Moscow is reinforcing new epicentre of war". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Archived from the original on 18 November 2022. Retrieved 18 November 2022.
  21. ^ "Fighting in Ukraine descends into trench warfare as Russia looks to break through". The Guardian. 28 November 2022. Archived from the original on 29 November 2022. Retrieved 29 November 2022.
  22. ^ Cite error: The named reference :11 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  23. ^ Cite error: The named reference :8 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  24. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference :18 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  25. ^ Cite error: The named reference :19 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  26. ^ Cite error: The named reference :13 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  27. ^ Cite error: The named reference :14 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  28. ^ "Kyiv says Bakhmut situation 'critical' as Wagner claims control". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 20 May 2023.
  29. ^ "Ukraine war: Kyiv rejects Wagner claim over Bakhmut". BBC News. 20 May 2023. Retrieved 20 May 2023.
  30. ^ "Ukraine: Bakhmut captured, Russian Defense Ministry says". DW. 20 May 2023.
  31. ^ "Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Plant Cut Off From Grid; Fighting Continues In Bakhmut". Radio Free Europe. 22 May 2023.
  32. ^ Cite error: The named reference ISW June 4 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  33. ^ Picheta, Rob (22 May 2023). "Russia has claimed to control Bakhmut, but Ukraine says it's still fighting. Here's what we know". CNN. Retrieved 3 June 2023.
  34. ^ Cite error: The named reference encircle was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  35. ^ Nechepurenko, Ivan (25 May 2023). "Wagner's Withdrawal From Bakhmut Would Present Test to Russian Army". The New York Times. Retrieved 26 May 2023.
  36. ^ Cite error: The named reference :16 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  37. ^ Cite error: The named reference :20 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  38. ^ Sherman, Jake (22 October 2023), "What Zelensky told us", Punchbowl News
  39. ^ Cite error: The named reference :10 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  40. ^ Cite error: The named reference :26 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  41. ^ Cite error: The named reference :21 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  42. ^ Cite error: The named reference :22 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  43. ^ Cite error: The named reference :5 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  44. ^ Cite error: The named reference :23 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  45. ^ Gomza, Ivan (2 October 2023). "Roger That: Russia's Coup-Proofed Army and Its Combat Effectiveness, 2022–2023". The Journal of Slavic Military Studies. 36 (4): 435–473. doi:10.1080/13518046.2023.2293371. ISSN 1351-8046.
  46. ^ "'It's like Verdun': The grinding battle for Ukraine's Bakhmut". France 24. 13 February 2023. Retrieved 20 May 2023.
  47. ^ "Bakhmut and the spirit of Verdun". The Economist. 1 June 2023. ISSN 0013-0613. Retrieved 15 March 2024.
  48. ^ Epstein, Jake (12 April 2023). "Ukrainian troops blew up a building to trap Russian forces: report". Business Insider. Retrieved 15 March 2024.
  49. ^ Cite error: The named reference :28 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  50. ^ Spencer, John [@SpencerGuard] (7 June 2023). "Underground warfare and urban warfare often go hand & hand for many reason. Stalingrad was called the rat war. Bakhmut is the Stalingrad of the Ukraine war (yes many differences, but it shows the intense challenges when fighting occurs on a certain type of urban terrain)" (Tweet). Retrieved 15 March 2024 – via Twitter.
  51. ^ Milevski, Lukas (3 November 2023). "The Urban Warfare Debate, the Russian Invasion of Ukraine, and the Bakhmut Conundrum". Wavell Room. Retrieved 21 February 2024.
  52. ^ Cite error: The named reference :25 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).