Heavy fighting in Bakhmut and why Russian Black Sea Fleet is losing its potential - military expert Zgurets

Heavy fighting in the Bakhmut direction

Currently, the main attention is on Bakhmut. However, the length of the front line in the Bakhmut direction is only 10 km, while the total length of the front line is over 970 km. The General Staff of the Armed Forces has been reporting for several months now that the fiercest battles are in the Bakhmut direction. 

Today, Colonel-General Oleksandr Syrskyi, Commander of the Eastern Military Group, stated that the situation in Bakhmut remains tense. Ukraine’s forces are not only conducting defensive actions, but also actively counterattacking. 

According to the general, this allows AFU to hold back Russia's offensive for a long time, not to increase the front line in this direction, and also to destroy the enemy's units and gain precious time. 

It is noteworthy that Syrskyi's words are similar to statements made by Volodymyr Zelensky in an interview with Al Arabiya, where he stated that Ukraine cannot retreat from Bakhmut, as this will expand the front line.

According to the President, this will give Russian forces a chance to capture more of Ukrainian territory. If Russia can capture Bakhmut, it could become a springboard for an offensive on two larger cities in the Donetsk region - Sloviansk and Kramatorsk.

The Russian forces continue to encircle the city of Bakhmut

Yuriy Fedorenko, the commander of the 92nd Separate Mechanized Brigade named after Ivan Sirko, stated that the dynamics of the Russian attacks in Bakhmut have remained unchanged in recent days. 

The Russians are still trying to break through Ukraine’s defense with manpower. The pressure on Ukrainian positions continues around the clock. Fedorenko emphasized that the Russian troops carry out more than 30 assault actions per day. He also noted that they have started to use aviation very actively. 

However, since the defense forces have stabilized the front line and the enemy cannot advance further, the only possibility for the occupiers to drive out Ukrainian units from occupied positions remains aviation. Nevertheless, according to Fedorenko, the defense forces in Bakhmut have received modern air defense means that help reduce the activity of Russian aviation in this direction.

Fighting in Bakhmut as of April 24

Yuriy Fedorenko added that Russia keeps trying to encircle the city of Bakhmut and prevent the Defense Forces from receiving ammunition. However, their intention is not being realized. The Defense Forces securely hold the approaches to the city and sometimes even manage to push them away from the main routes of communication. He noted that the fighting in Bakhmut is very intense.

Marine drone attack on Russian ships in Sevastopol 

According to the head of the project at the Institute of Black Sea Strategic Studies, Andriy Klymenko, the attack by unmanned sea drones on Russian ships in Sevastopol was not a clearly planned operation. It is more like a stage of testing new unmanned systems. Klymenko emphasized that the manufacture of such drones is a complex engineering process. It should also be taken into account that the security situation in the Black Sea is not stabilizing until the end of the Russian-Ukrainian war. Therefore, Ukraine should use all available forces and means to neutralize the threat from the Russian Black Sea Fleet.

Fire on Cape Fiolent in Sevastopol on April 24

Andriy Klymenko emphasized that the recent attacks on Russian ships in Crimea are a preparatory process that already poses a threat to the entire Black Sea Fleet of the Russian Federation. After all, Russia has already started moving its ships to Novorossiysk. In addition, the Russian forces changed the firing zone 70 miles south of Mykolaivka. In fact, it is 150 km south of Novorossiysk. 

These actions by the Russian troops indicate that they already take the threat of Ukrainian marine drones seriously. However, Ukraine should further increase its innovative and financial potential to improve the design and production of such drones. Klymenko also noted that the Black Sea Fleet of the Russian Federation is losing its potential. He is convinced that Russia has already begun preparing for defeat.