Rampant Destruction in Ukraine: 600 Russian Deaths & Unverified Ukrainian Casualties

The cover image of this article is from pathfinderministries.blogspot.com.

Russia attacking towns surrounding Bakhmut in east Ukraine

Ukraine is doing everything in its power to protect the towns surrounding Bakhmut in the Donbas region in the east from Russian forces. The area has been the subject of a concentrated effort from Russia to make substantial progress this summer. In the last few days, the attacks have been especially severe at the town of Soledar, likely because of the possibility to cut its connection off.

The mercenaries of the Wagner group, employed by the Russian government, have been fighting to take control of both Bakhmut and Soledar since months, and this has resulted in huge losses on both sides. Yevgeny Prigozhin, the founder of Wagner, asserted that the area is significant due to its plentiful mineral mines, a place where tanks and infantry fighting vehicles can move about with ease.

Analysts have determined that any strategic benefit for Russia would be limited; however, the United States noted that Prigozhin may be interested in the gypsum and salt from the mines. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy commented that the towns are holding on despite the destruction caused by Russian forces' relentless efforts.

The situation in Soledar is dire as it is littered with destroyed buildings due to tank battles. Those who have fled from the city spoke of how everyone had to stay inside and not come out for days.

Ukraine has added extra forces and means to stabilize the situation and its military spokesperson Serhiy Cherevatyi commented that the intensity of the fight is clear with 106 shellings on one single day.

Russian military casualties in Donbas

Since the conscription of soldiers in autumn, the Russian military casualties have been increasing, which has led many to speculate that Vladimir Putin's strategy is not working. In fact, Phillips P O'Brien, a Professor of Strategic Studies at the University of St Andrews, has pointed out that while a lot of soldiers have been recruited, they have not been equipped properly and have not been trained to the same level as the professional force which Russia had in the first place.

Claim regarding the loss of 600 Ukrainian personnel

Regarding the claim made by the Russian defence ministry that 600 Ukrainian service personnel were destroyed in the attack at the college dormitories in Kramatorsk, a team of Reuters journalists found no evidence to prove it. Furthermore, certain pro-Kremlin military bloggers have expressed doubt about the claim. Despite the Kremlin's confidence in the truth of the statement, it seems that the situation is still unresolved.