Bakhmut: the hotspot of fierce clashes between Russian, Ukrainian troops
BAKHMUT, Ukraine - Intense clashes between warring Russian and Ukrainian troops are currently underway near the city of Bakhmut in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine.
More than 10 villages in the region have so far been emptied fearing severe implications of the conflict, according to information Rudaw obtained on the ground.
Cabral Oleksovaldemir, 25, is the commander of a group of 13 troops who are tasked with firing rockets on the frontline. Due to security and safety reasons, Rudaw is not allowed to disclose the name of the location.
"We have been able to secure an eight-kilometer-long frontline with the adequate amount of weapons that we possess and they are of good quality," Oleksovaldemir said, adding they carry a huge responsibility to protect their people and country.
"We work heavily because the responsibility given to us is not an easy one. Sometimes in two minutes, we launch eight mortars," the young commander said.
He added that the majority of his men were volunteers in the beginning and as the war continued, they decided to join the army permanently.
"We have enough weapons in possession to continue the battle and protect our land," Maxim Khmermen, one of Oleksovaldemir’s men said, adding they will need more military support if Russia accelerates its attacks.
"However, if Russia continues to fight us and accelerate the attacks, we will need more support from the coalition partners," Khmermen said.
Before the war started in February 2022, 30 percent of the Donbas region had been under the control of Russia and the separatists. Nearly a year into the war, Russia is in control of more than 55 percent of the Donbas region, and the war rages on.
In his visit to the US congress late last month, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned of the dreadful situation around Bakhmut.
“Last year, 70,000 people lived here in Bakhmut in this city,” he said. “Now only a few civilians stay."
"The fight for Bakhmut will change the tragic story of our war for independence and of freedom," the Ukrainian president said.
Russia on Thursday announced a 36-hour ceasefire on the Ukrainian frontline due to the Russian Orthodox Christmas, starting from midnight, but the truce was rejected by Kyiv which called it a “propaganda gesture.”
More than 10 villages in the region have so far been emptied fearing severe implications of the conflict, according to information Rudaw obtained on the ground.
Cabral Oleksovaldemir, 25, is the commander of a group of 13 troops who are tasked with firing rockets on the frontline. Due to security and safety reasons, Rudaw is not allowed to disclose the name of the location.
"We have been able to secure an eight-kilometer-long frontline with the adequate amount of weapons that we possess and they are of good quality," Oleksovaldemir said, adding they carry a huge responsibility to protect their people and country.
"We work heavily because the responsibility given to us is not an easy one. Sometimes in two minutes, we launch eight mortars," the young commander said.
He added that the majority of his men were volunteers in the beginning and as the war continued, they decided to join the army permanently.
"We have enough weapons in possession to continue the battle and protect our land," Maxim Khmermen, one of Oleksovaldemir’s men said, adding they will need more military support if Russia accelerates its attacks.
"However, if Russia continues to fight us and accelerate the attacks, we will need more support from the coalition partners," Khmermen said.
Before the war started in February 2022, 30 percent of the Donbas region had been under the control of Russia and the separatists. Nearly a year into the war, Russia is in control of more than 55 percent of the Donbas region, and the war rages on.
In his visit to the US congress late last month, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned of the dreadful situation around Bakhmut.
“Last year, 70,000 people lived here in Bakhmut in this city,” he said. “Now only a few civilians stay."
"The fight for Bakhmut will change the tragic story of our war for independence and of freedom," the Ukrainian president said.
Russia on Thursday announced a 36-hour ceasefire on the Ukrainian frontline due to the Russian Orthodox Christmas, starting from midnight, but the truce was rejected by Kyiv which called it a “propaganda gesture.”