Russia moves from defense to counterattack near Bakhmut cauldron

Nga chuyển từ phòng thủ sang phản công gần chảo lửa Bakhmut - 1 — A Ukrainian tank in Bakhmut, Donetsk province, eastern Ukraine (Photo: AP).

"In the Bakhmut area, the enemy has significantly strengthened its formations and switched from defense to active action," General Oleksandr Syrskyi, Commander of the Ukrainian Army, said on October 30.

He acknowledged that the situation on the eastern front was difficult as Russian forces stepped up operations near the Ukrainian-controlled town of Kupiansk, saying Russia was trying to attack from multiple directions at the same time.

On the other hand, he said, Russia suffered great losses here.

Bakhmut is in Donetsk province. This was once the fiercest and bloodiest battlefront between the Ukrainian and Russian armies.

Moscow took control of Bakhmut in May. Ukraine launched a counter-offensive in June to retake Bakhmut as well as other territories in the east and south.

Meanwhile, on the Avdiivka front in Donetsk, Russia is concentrating its forces to control this strategic city, the latest report from the Ukrainian General Staff said. Avdiivka is located south of Bakhmut and was previously controlled by Russia, but Ukraine took it back in September.

Avdiivka and Bakhmut play a key role in Moscow's plan to take complete control of eastern Ukraine.

Both Russia and Ukraine are believed to be stepping up military activity ahead of the adverse weather conditions in the fall and winter. Russian officials have repeatedly stated that Ukraine’s counter-offensive has failed and suffered heavy losses.

According to Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, Ukraine has lost more than 90,000 troops after nearly five months of counterattack. "Since June 4, when Ukraine began its counterattack, Kiev has lost more than 90,000 troops, about 600 tanks and nearly 1,900 armored vehicles. Ukraine has also not achieved meaningful success on the battlefield," Shoigu said at the Xiangshan Defense Forum in Beijing, China, on October 30.

He also stressed that Russia is ready to discuss post-conflict solutions to the crisis in Ukraine and coexistence with the West.

“In case the necessary conditions are created, we remain ready for political discussions on a practical basis both on a post-conflict solution to the Ukrainian crisis and on coexistence with the West in general,” Shoigu said.

He said the West was using Ukraine as a tool to inflict "strategic defeat" on Russia, after Moscow responded to NATO's eastward expansion.

The Russian Defense Minister said that the West's strategy of increasing pressure on Russia could lead to a military confrontation between nuclear powers.

"The West's policy of constantly escalating confrontation with Russia carries the risk of a direct military conflict between nuclear powers," Minister Shoigu said.

Moscow has repeatedly criticized the West for continuing to supply weapons to Ukraine. Russia believes that this cannot change the situation on the battlefield but only escalates and prolongs the conflict.

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