Bakhmut acts as meat grinder for Russian army - security expert Varchenko

He shared his opinions with Espresso TV.

"In the Ukrainian military tradition, there is no such thing as us fighting to the end, holding the territory at great sacrifice. The main thing for us is to save the lives and health of our people. We are fighting against the enemy and trying to destroy them on our land," Varchenko explained.

The Ukrainian Armed Forces serviceman emphasized that the Ukrainian army used Bakhmut for large-scale destruction of Russian personnel.

"Bakhmut has become a symbol of this war. Of course, it was made an ideological symbol for the Russian Federation. However, the main thing is that Bakhmut has played and is playing its role as a meat grinder for the Russian army. Of course, the military and political leadership of Ukraine is weighing the cost of the almost destroyed settlement and the lives of our soldiers. And the lives of our soldiers are more important here. Our military power still has the strength to defend Bakhmut. However, if there is a question of leaving any settlement or saving the lives of our soldiers, the answer is obvious," he added.

• On February 4, Ukraine’s Deputy Minister of Defense of Ukraine Hanna Maliar said that Russia had deployed all its forces into breaking through the Ukrainian defense and encircling Bakhmut this week.