Russian attacks around Bakhmut were repelled. However, the Russian enemy is trying to infiltrate the city center. So it is too early to predict that the Russian assault on Bakhmut has reached its culmination, as some international analytical organizations claim. Today, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense reported that the commander of the ground forces, Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskyi, has once again visited the hottest spots in the Bakhmut sector. According to Syrskyi, the most intense phase of the battle for Bakhmut is underway. The situation remains consistently difficult. The enemy suffers manpower, weapons, and military equipment losses. However, it continues to conduct offensive actions. Syrskyi noted that the defense of Bakhmut is driven by military necessity. He also added that the country's military and political leadership is considering all possible scenarios and will act adequately regarding the current situation.
Volodymyr Nazarenko, deputy commander of the Svoboda battalion, said that over the past few weeks, the Ukrainian Defense Forces have managed to stabilize the front line near Bakhmut. He noted that the stabilization of the front line is the result of the daily hard work of Ukrainian defenders. Heavy fighting continues near Bakhmut. The situation is developing very dynamically. However, according to Nazarenko, we can already talk not only about the occupiers' attempts to advance, but also about counterattacks by Ukrainian units. The Ukrainian units in Bakhmut are considering various options for attacks and advances, and in no way are they aiming to be in a dead end defense.
Situation in the Bakhmut direction as of March 27
According to Volodymyr Nazarenko, Russia's personnel in Bakhmut is constantly changing. Until January 1, the occupiers' army consisted of convicts, mercenaries and criminals. Now Russia is actively deploying reconstituted units to Bakhmut that were defeated in the Kharkiv sector and near Kherson. They also deployed air assault troops to reinforce their units near Bakhmut.
Nazarenko emphasized that it is not possible to speak of a certain parity in artillery with the Russian enemy. After all, the Russian army still has an advantage in the number of ammunition and artillery. However, the situation is changing due to the targeting and tactics of artillery use by the Ukrainian Armed Forces. The Russian army has not abandoned the tactics of the firewall. However, there is a certain change in the dynamics of shelling, which indicates that the Russian army has certain limitations in ammunition.
Belarusian military expert Aleksandr Alesin said that currently there is no reaction from the Belarusian authorities to Putin's statements about the deployment of nuclear weapons. According to him, Belarusians are waiting for such a reaction from Alexander Lukashenko. Experts agreed that what happened was inevitable. Belarus and Russia have been preparing for this for the past few years.
Alexander Alesin noted that the Belarusian society is completely unaware of the consequences of the decision to deploy tactical nuclear weapons on the territory of Belarus. Alesin is convinced that Belarusian society will fully support Lukashenko's position. Experts are well aware that all nuclear facilities after the deployment of such weapons in Belarus will be under the sights of American strategic forces. Alesin is also convinced that tactical nuclear weapons on the territory of Belarus will play the role of European strategic weapons. All tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus will be directed to the territory of Poland, Germany, Estonia, Lithuania, and Latvia. This is also a threat to Ukraine.
According to Alesin, Putin's statement about the deployment of tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus and the preparation of storage facilities for the relevant missiles was unexpected. This is especially true of his words about the completion of the construction of storage facilities for nuclear-tipped missiles. In Soviet times, Belarus had a large number of storage facilities for tactical nuclear missiles. More than half of all Soviet short- and medium-range missiles were located in Belarus. Also, 81 strategic nuclear missiles were deployed in Belarus. Alesin emphasized that it is impossible to prepare a new storage facility for nuclear missiles in a short period of time. Therefore, it is likely that Russia wants to use old Soviet storage facilities in Belarus.