Not so fast: Tenacious Ukrainian defense, Russian ammo shortage thwart Russian advance on Bakhmut

[toomuchtime_]

Wagner mercenary group has appeared on a social media video complaining that a lack of ammunition has stalled an advance on the town, which is largely in ruins.

he Russian front lines could collapse, warned Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin on his Telegram channel on Sunday, accusing the Russian Defense Ministry of cutting off his penal brigades from resupply. "For now, we are trying to figure out the reason: is it just ordinary bureaucracy or a betrayal," said Prigozhin.

Meanwhile, the Ukrainian defenders “are continuing to inflict high casualties against the advancing mixed Russian forces,” according to the latest analysis from the Institute for the Study of War, which added that the Ukrainians are “likely setting robust conditions for a future Ukrainian counteroffensive.”

“The Ukrainian defense of Bakhmut remains strategically sound as it continues to consume Russian manpower and equipment as long as Ukrainian forces do not suffer excessive casualties,” the ISW said. “Ukrainian forces are unlikely to withdraw from Bakhmut all at once and may pursue a gradual fighting withdrawal to exhaust Russian forces through continued urban warfare.”

Not so fast: Tenacious Ukrainian defense, Russian ammo shortage thwart Russian advance on Bakhmut

Prigozhin sounds like he would rather be making borscht.

 

[1srelluc]

Penal brigades?

 

[toomuchtime_]

Penal brigades?

The convicts Prigozhin recruited from Russian prisons to be killed in Ukraine. They make up a large proportion of the Wagner Group fighters today.

 

[luiza]

TODAY , DIRECT FROM UKEY SOLDIERS TALKING TO KYIV INDEPENDENT
IT IS A TERRIBLE MASSACRE

"They get the positions where we are, establish the coordinates, then they hit us from seven to nine kilometers out with mortars,” as well as from closer by with grenade launchers, says the older Serhiy. “They wait for the house to fall so we have to jump out. The building catches fire and then they finish us off.”

“Their birds come out and they chase us with fire,” adds the younger Serhiy, referring to Russian UAVs, like quadcopters and Orlan-10 fixed wing drones that spot distant heavy weapons. “They hit accurately.”

As Russians destroy more and more buildings, Ukrainians keep losing more places where they can reliably take cover

 

[luiza]

THE ACTUAL TRUTH . ITS' A MASSACRE
Front line comments made by fighters today , reported by Kyiv Independent
The soldiers lack about everything that would support their defense:They say that Russian artillery, infantry fighting vehicles and armored personnel carriers are often allowed to strike Ukrainian positions for hours or days without being shut down by Ukrainian heavy weapons. Some complained of poor coordination and situational awareness, allowing this to happen or making it even worse.Mortarmen spoke of extreme ammunition scarcity and having to use weapons dating back to World War II. Drones that are supposed to provide critical reconnaissance information are also scarce and are being lost at very high rates in some parts of the battlefield.All this leads to terrifying casualties of both dead and wounded. "The battalion came in in the middle of December… between all the different platoons, there were 500 of us," says Borys, a combat medic from Odesa Oblast fighting around Bakhmut. "A month ago, there were literally 150 of us."“When you go out to the position, it’s not even a 50/50 chance that you’ll come out of there (alive),” says the older Serhiy. “It’s more like 30/70.”

 

[toomuchtime_]

TODAY , DIRECT FROM UKEY SOLDIERS TALKING TO KYIV INDEPENDENT
IT IS A TERRIBLE MASSACRE

"They get the positions where we are, establish the coordinates, then they hit us from seven to nine kilometers out with mortars,” as well as from closer by with grenade launchers, says the older Serhiy. “They wait for the house to fall so we have to jump out. The building catches fire and then they finish us off.”

“Their birds come out and they chase us with fire,” adds the younger Serhiy, referring to Russian UAVs, like quadcopters and Orlan-10 fixed wing drones that spot distant heavy weapons. “They hit accurately.”

As Russians destroy more and more buildings, Ukrainians keep losing more places where they can reliably take cover

For seven months we've been hearing Russia and its Putinheads celebrating almost capturing Bakhmut and now Prigozhin is warning he may have to retreat from Bakhmut and that the entire Russian front may collapse and Russia is in danger of losing the war.

 

[luiza]

THE ACTUAL TRUTH . ITS' A MASSACRE Today , March 6.
Front line comments made by fighters today , reported by Kyiv Independent
The soldiers lack about everything that would support their defense:They say that Russian artillery, infantry fighting vehicles and armored personnel carriers are often allowed to strike Ukrainian positions for hours or days without being shut down by Ukrainian heavy weapons. Some complained of poor coordination and situational awareness, allowing this to happen or making it even worse.Mortarmen spoke of extreme ammunition scarcity and having to use weapons dating back to World War II. Drones that are supposed to provide critical reconnaissance information are also scarce and are being lost at very high rates in some parts of the battlefield.All this leads to terrifying casualties of both dead and wounded. "The battalion came in in the middle of December… between all the different platoons, there were 500 of us," says Borys, a combat medic from Odesa Oblast fighting around Bakhmut. "A month ago, there were literally 150 of us."“When you go out to the position, it’s not even a 50/50 chance that you’ll come out of there (alive),” says the older Serhiy. “It’s more like 30/70.”

 

[1srelluc]

The convicts Prigozhin recruited from Russian prisons to be killed in Ukraine. They make up a large proportion of the Wagner Group fighters today.

OK.....During WW-2 the Soviets fielded many such formations.

.....it was not unknown for some to become Heroes of the Soviet Union.

Heroic feats of Soviet penal units in WWII

 

[1srelluc]

Always remember:

“The first casualty in war is the truth.”
- Some newspaper dude.