Ukraine has initiative in Bakhmut area, advances in 3 directions – military expert Svitan

He shared the information on Espreso TV.

"The Russians realize that after we have reached the dominant heights, we control the entrance and exit to Bakhmut, including Klishchiivka. The dominant height we have taken controls Bakhmut to the north and Klishchiivka to the south. That is, we took control of two settlements. In military slang, control means not that we are standing at every intersection in the city, but that we can destroy any target within 25-30 km with artillery. Accordingly, within this radius, we control the entrances and exits to the city, as well as Bakhmut itself. The enemy realizes that it is in this mode that we start to threaten them there, so they are trying to knock us out of these heights," said the reserve colonel with the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

Roman Svitan noted that an irreversible process has already begun, because Ukraine’s access to the heights makes it difficult for Russian troops to approach them.

"I would say that now there is a real Ukrainian emphasis in the area of Bakhmut. We are starting to move in three directions at the same time: from Bakhmut north to Berkhivka and further south towards Horlivka to Kurdyumivka, and we are also holding the heights in Klishchiivka with the aim of moving east towards Popasna. It's an interesting trident that keeps our troops on the heights and, accordingly, allows us to control Bakhmut. We will destroy the enemy's military targets as they enter the city. It is difficult for the Russians to move under the control of our artillery," explained Svitan.

• On July 12, the Ukrainian Defense Forces were reportedly holding back the Russian offensive in the east, advancing on the flanks of Bakhmut and destroying Russian forces in the south.

• On July 14, Deputy Minister of Defense of Ukraine Hanna Maliar reported that the Ukrainian Armed Forces had advanced on the southern flank of the Bakhmut direction.