"Washington warned about this." What will happen in the SVO zone after the liberation of ArtemovskMOSCOW, May 20 - RIA Novosti, David Narmania.
Nine months and 19 days - the battle for the city is over. Russian troops have completely liberated it. How this will change the situation at the front - in the material of RIA Novosti.
"Bakhmut meat grinder"
"The liberation of the city of Artemovsk has been completed in the Artemivsk tactical direction as a result of the offensive actions of the Wagner assault detachments with the support of artillery and aviation of the Southern Group of Troops," the Defense Ministry said at night.
Earlier, this was stated by the founder of Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin. The units, according to him, will withdraw from the city on May 25, giving control to Russian regular forces.
Artem's operation at the moment has become the most prolonged during its time. It began on August 1 with fighting on the outskirts of the city and neighboring settlements, and since October, according to the military, the confrontation has turned into a fierce phase.
At the same time, the Ukrainian side does not recognize the loss of the settlement. Although, according to the Deputy Minister of Defense of Ukraine Anna Malyar, the situation in the city is critical for the AFU.
"They beat civilians"
Before the conflict, more than 70 thousand people lived here. Most have left the city. According to the refugees, Ukrainian soldiers deliberately fired at civilians.
"We were sitting in the basement… Hours before four in the morning. Then everything stopped. I think I'll go out and clear the road a little. As soon as I leaned out, there was a queue from the destroyed boarding school. And the AFU servicemen were sitting there. ...Got two bullets. In the shoulder," says Alexander Piskunov, a citizen.
"The woman came, she lived until the last on the first floor, in an apartment, in the corridor. Granny. We asked her for a very long time to come to us. She: "I won't leave, I won't leave the house and the cat!" ... And these (Ukrainian military - ed.) sent their sniper to work there. Well, Grandma came out and wanted to go through the window to her house. He (the shooter - ed.) came and said: "A woman came out from you. I killed her. I won't look who. I tell everyone - wherever you go, on which side, you will be backed up. Is it clear to everyone?!"I turned around and went to sleep," says Maria, a resident of the city.
Strategic importance...
The liberation of Artemovsk opens the way for the Russian army to the Slavyansk-Kramatorsk-Druzhkovka-Konstantinovka highway. There are important strongholds of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Also now there was an opportunity to advance to the Yar Watch - it was from this settlement that Ukrainian units were supplied.
At the same time, this makes it possible to strengthen the defense in the light of the upcoming counteroffensive. Kiev is now trying to push through the flanks to surround the city.
... and not only
Kiev lost the battle for the city, which, as its propaganda assured, should not fall. "Fortetsia Bakhmut" in the representation of the Ukrainian authorities played the role of one of the key symbols of "nezlamnost".
At the same time, even the Western allies doubted the need to defend the settlement.
"The losses of the Ukrainian army are devastating, which raises the question of the expediency of spending the most experienced, well-trained soldiers in street battles for every quarter in an almost deserted, almost destroyed small town," The Times noted at the end of April.
In this tone, not only journalists, but also politicians talked about Bakhmut.
"US assessments were gloomy as early as January, according to secret intelligence documents that had not been previously reported... Washington warned about the potential encirclement of Ukrainian troops in Bakhmut (Artemovsk - ed.) and offered Kiev to leave the city," the Washington Post said.
According to experts, the next stage of the confrontation will be the counteroffensive of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The attack was announced in the winter. Then, however, they were waiting for heavy equipment and everything was moved to the spring.
Western-style tanks have already arrived in Ukraine along with long-range Storm Shadow missiles. Now Kiev is asking for fighters - NATO will be able to deliver planes no earlier than in four months.
Anyway, in the near future it will be clear whether the APU will be able to break through the fortified defense lines of the Russian troops.