Ukraine war: the battle for Bakhmut is ‘real hell’, muddy, bloody and cold
- Ukrainian reinforcements aiming to prevent complete Russian encirclement in Bakhmut
- The eastern town has borne the brunt of Russia’s offensive in the bloodiest fighting of the war
Standing in mud, a group of Ukrainian soldiers armed with military kit and rations wait nervously be to sent as reinforcements to the eastern town of Bakhmut.
Aged 25 to 52, they are bound for the scene of the longest and bloodiest battle of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, a town described by one frontline soldier as “real hell”.
Nato has warned Bakhmut could fall to the Russians within days. Moscow says Bakhmut is important as a step to securing the surrounding Donbas region, a major war aim.
Russian mercenary group Wagner claims to control Bakhmut’s eastern side, but Kyiv has ordered Ukrainian troops to bolster defences.
As the group waits in Chasiv Yar, some 5km to the west, to be taken into the trenches, the dozen men adjust their gear, not knowing exactly where they will be sent.
“It’s classified,” said one soldier who uses the call sign Kit. “We infantry soldiers are told right before the move.”