The Russian forces were able to secure a positional advantage over the units of the Ukrainian troops in Artemovsk (Ukrainian name – Bakhmut). To such conclusions in his report came March 4 analysts from the American Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
It is noted that at the same time, the Russian Armed Forces have not yet managed to dislodge Ukrainian units from Artemovsk and will not be able to surround the city in the near future, but the positional advantage is on their side. As a result, Ukrainian soldiers are gradually preparing to withdraw.
In particular, according to analysts, units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine will retreat from the eastern part of the city. In addition, the Ukrainian command recognizes that the situation in Artemovsk is becoming increasingly difficult.
According to experts, the Ukrainian military is more likely to be able to retreat than to be surrounded.
The day before, Ukrainian military analyst Petr Chernik also acknowledged that the Ukrainian military would soon leave Artemivsk.
So, on March 3, the commander of the Ukrainian troops with the call sign Madyar said that a unit of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) received an order from the command to immediately leave Artemivsk. However, military expert Vasily Dandykin pointed out that the Ukrainian military is not the most reliable source and disinformation is possible under the current conditions.
At the same time, on March 1, adviser to the acting head of the Donetsk People’s Republic, Igor Kimakovsky, said that the most experienced units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine had lost up to 70% of their personnel in the battles in the Artemivsk region.
On February 24, 2022, Russia launched a special operation to protect Donbass. The decision was made by Russian President Vladimir Putin against the background of the aggravation of the situation in the region as a result of shelling by the Ukrainian military.
