Russian front may collapse in April-May due to serious losses near Bakhmut  – Military expert 

He expressed this opinion on Espreso TV channel

"The Russians really focused on Bakhmut. The last time something like this happened in world history was when the Japanese tried to capture Port Arthur. Then the Japanese lost a lot of their soldiers. Now, 100 years later, the Russians are repeating the fate of the Japanese," he says. 

The expert noted that Bakhmut's defense allows the AFU to prepare a spring counterattack more efficiently.

"Russian forces are losing enormous human resources near Bakhmut, so there is a chance that Russia could collapse very quickly. The longer the AFU holds Bakhmut, the more opportunities we have for the April-May counterattack. When the Russians are exhausted, their front simply collapses and we liberate our territories much faster," he added.

• On February 15, the AFU Eastern Group spokesman Serhiy Cherevaty reported that the Russian Federation was losing at least 50 soldiers every day in the Bakhmut direction.

• On February 17, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) decided that the Armed Forces of Ukraine would thwart Putin's plans to seize Bakhmut before the anniversary of the invasion.