The battle for Bakhmut in Ukraine’s war-torn east has become one of the most brutal chapters of Russia’s disastrous invasion of its neighbor, as Ukrainian defenders burrowed into lines of fortified positions and mud-swamped trenches fight off waves of Russian assault units picking their way across the shell-scarred landscape.
The grinding assault on the city and its surrounding area is a rallying point for Russia’s military bloggers and propagandists, and a showcase of the capabilities of the Wagner Group and leader Yevgeny Prigozhin, one oligarch ally of President Vladimir Putin whose profile has increased dramatically since February 24.
Members of the Wagner PMC near Bakhmut. pic.twitter.com/hL6e9lIBIL
— Paul Jawin (@PaulJawin) December 6, 2022
