Kyiv Says It's Maintaining Bakhmut's 'Road of Life' Despite Kremlin Claims

A Ukrainian soldier fires an RPG at Russian positions on the front line. Credit: Libkos/AP

Ukraine has said it still controls the critical «lifeline» supply route that leads west from besieged Bakhmut.

The city is at the center of the fighting in Ukraine, and while the Kremlin's Wagner mercenary group is making steady progress towards taking over the entire city, Ukrainian officials insist their troops have not been cut off.

The Russians have been talking for weeks about taking control of the 'road of life' , — said Serhiy Cherevaty, a representative of the eastern sector of the Ukrainian armed forces. . “But thanks to the military special forces and artillerymen, the defense forces did not allow the Russians to cut our logistics.”

The road is the only one that runs between Bakhmut and Ukraine's supply lines. It is open, pitted with shells and littered with wrecked vehicles that could not withstand the collision.

Orders from Kiev

Vladimir Zelensky said that he ordered the Ukrainian units to hold their positions in Bakhmut, rather than retreat, because it helped to deplete forces Russia ahead of an expected major Ukrainian counter-offensive.

The stubbornness of the Ukrainian resistance surprised observers, including the United States, who believed that Ukrainian forces would be defeated by the end of January.< /p> Ukrainian servicemen prepare a tank at a position near the front-line town of Bakhmut. Photo: AFP/DIMITAR DILKOFF

Even so, Wagner said that every day he seizes territory during intense street fighting, although at a cost.

Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner's chief, complained that the Russian Defense Ministry was deliberately delaying the delivery of artillery shells to his troops in order to undermine their combat capability, and said Wagner lost 94 men on Saturday due to a lack of fire cover for his advance. fighters.

“This [loss rate] should be five times lower if we had enough rounds,” he said.

On Sunday, the Russian Defense Ministry said that Kremlin-linked forces have taken over four more blocks in the western part of the city.

Another dismissal of Putin

It also confirmed that he had fired Colonel General Mikhail Mizintsev as deputy defense minister. He was in charge of logistics, a position he has only held since September last year.

The Kremlin did not give a reason for the dismissal, but analysts say it shows that Vladimir Putin, who has been hiring and firing several top generals since the start of his invasion of Ukraine were still dissatisfied with the actions of their army.

Colonel-General Alexei Kuzmenkov was appointed to replace General Mizintsev. Since 2019, he has been the head of the Russian Guard. Previously, he devoted his military career to logistics.