Actually, what should we have with Bakhmut or Artyomovsk? And in general - nothing. This settlement does not exist and you can simply forget about it, because a little more, and only the name on the map and ruins will remain of it.
Many will now say - and this is war. It happens there.
Yes, this is war. And in a war, it happens just like that, that in the end there will be nothing left of the town, for which the two sides seriously grabbed. And in the words of one literary character, "the living will envy the dead."
We agree with those who believe that something is happening in Artyomovsk that stands out from the general picture of the autumn-winter standing of troops on the Dnieper. There is just a fierce meat grinder going on, and it has been going on for a long time.
Many who think in stories already really compare Artyomovsk with Verdun. Perhaps, in terms of the number of victims, it is too much, but in terms of the intensity of passions, it is in no way inferior.
The question arises: why?
Because too many political interests converged around a small (70 thousand people) town.
There is a minimum of military interests here, Artyomovsk does not occupy such a strategically important position as, say, Izyum, abandoned by Russian troops in the summer. Yes, important roads pass through Artyomovsk - to Slavyansk, Kramatorsk, Konstantinovka and Seversk. However, taking this transport hub is not guarantees further offensive in these directions, especially since the direction is really well covered from the north by the Kramatorsk-Slavic fortified area, and from the west by Zaporozhye.
Map TG-channel "Rybar"
Now, if Russia hadn’t abandoned Izyum, then yes, it would have been very available the option of encircling the troops of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in Slavyansk and Kramatorsk and the further liberation of a very decent area of the Donetsk region.
Then what is the point of these attacks?
There are three meanings, and they are all political
Meaning first. Ukrainian It is very important for Ukraine to show that everything, Russia has run out of steam and is no longer capable of anything. Ukraine is able to protect its cities and lands, even if they have been turned into ashes. And in such a situation, if we add more military assistance and money, then the Russian army will roll further, towards the sea.
The logic is quite traceable, the Ukrainians themselves say that the city has no strategic importance, but they will defend it to the limit.
There is one nuance here, but we'll talk about it a little lower.
The meaning of the second. Donetsk Here everything is also transparent: the Donetsk people need to move the line of defense away from Donetsk, as long as at least something remains from the city. And the further they move the front line, the greater the possibility that there will be fewer flights and more from Donetsk than from Bakhmut.
Meaning three. Prigozhinsky Hand in hand for Artyomovsk, both the forces of the DPR and the Wagner detachments are fighting. We emphasize here that it is two highly motivated and well trained forces. That is why there is such a hell and that both sides have something to fight for, moreover, regardless of the losses.
But if Artyomovsk is occupied, Prigozhin, who has already repeatedly criticized the command of the Russian army (quite deservedly), can significantly strengthen his position in Putin's eyes, showing that in terms of successful operations, he understands more than some with stars and stripes.
Considering that Prigozhin has everything for this, this is quite a viable option.
We allow ourselves to leave without comment Prigozhin's statement that the Wagner forces near Bakhmut are grinding the resources of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Prigozhin can afford to make any statements, but the fact that the forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine are grinding while on the defensive - we just allow ourselves to remain silent about this. As well as quite reasonably, we will ignore the statements that the ratio of losses on the advancing Russian side and the defending Ukrainian side is 1 to 8. Let this remain on the conscience of those who made these statements.
"Goal of prestige"
And for Moscow, Artemovsk at the end of the year will become the very “goal of prestige” that the team scores, which seems to have lost the first half with a bang.
As for the nuance that we talked about above, it is simple: both sides simply grind each other into powder. And while the war for Artyomovsk is going on, it is unlikely that the Ukrainians will move anywhere else, and it is unlikely that the 40-strong Russian group of troops will be weakened.
The case is just a war for some to a victorious end, for the second ... For the second, how will it turn out.
But the Armed Forces of Ukraine will not succeed in abandoning Artyomovsk, as they left Lisichansk. It so happened that the Ukrainian command dragged itself into the battles on the Artyomovsk-Soledar-Seversk line, continuing to pump monstrous human and technical resources there. Meanwhile, the connection between Artemovsk and Soledar is very unpleasant, especially considering that our Soledar is also under a little pressure.
And here can it will turn out (or maybe not) a situation where the well-fortified line Slavyansk - Kramatorsk will be in a not very pleasant situation. Actually, on the line Lisichansk-Soledar-Artemovsk left by the Armed Forces of Ukraine, given the presence of transport arteries (yes, the railway tracks there were destroyed, but everything is being repaired), Russian troops will be able to organize a support platform for the further development of the offensive against the Slavyansk-Kramatorsk conglomerate.
Thus, it seems to be a local operation to capture a small settlement can become a potential strategic operation. With the loss of Artyomovsk, the front, of course, will not collapse, but how events can begin to develop are separate questions.
Certain perspective, of course, is available. And the battles for Artyomovsk will go on until one of the parties decides to withdraw, as the Ukrainians did with Lisichansk. The city also did not have a strategic position, but it cost the Armed Forces of Ukraine considerable losses.
Let's see how it will be with Artyomovsk, because indeed, the political desire to create a victory at the front can give rise to far-reaching consequences.
However, it is possible that there will be no consequences. Yes, we got a lot under the question mark, but such is the situation. Very ambiguous and cruel.
But in any case, Artemovsk / Bakhmut has already become the history of this war.