AFU manage to restrain Russian forces in Bakhmut direction - military analyst Hetman

He expressed this opinion on the air of the “Verdict with Serhii Rudenko” program on Espreso TV. 

“Bakhmut has no tactical significance from a military point of view. The battle for Bakhmut has an emotional and political burden. Because the Russian Federation really needs to show at least some victorious actions. There have been hostilities for half a year, but the enemy is unable to advance or capture the city. The Armed Forces will hold the city until the end. If the enemy concentrates a large number of equipment and military personnel there, and it is senseless for us to lose the lives of our people in order for this city to remain under Ukrainian control right now, we will do as we did in Lysychansk and Severodonetsk,” Hetman emphasized.

According to a military analyst, so far the Ukrainian Armed Forces have managed to restrain the Russian troops in the Bakhmut direction.

“The Russians will suffer colossal losses there. Bakhmut will definitely remain Ukrainian. But if we have to withdraw for a certain time, we can do it. This is called tactical defense. We need to take the right steps to achieve victory,” Hetman explained.

• Russian troops are building defense lines in the Svatove and Lyman directions to prevent the Ukrainian Armed Forces' advance. 

• Russia's efforts around Bakhmut show that Moscow has fundamentally failed to learn the lessons of previous high-casualty campaigns, which were undertaken with the goal of only limited operational or strategic success.