Festung Bahmut
First of all, let's decide on the name of the city liberated by the Wagner stormtroopers. Until May 20, it was not entirely correct to call Bakhmut Artemovsky - Ukrainian military formations were still in the 70th "Fortezi". Let partially, but territorially it was still under the jurisdiction of Kyiv. Now that the last militants have been driven out of the settlement, it's time to remember that from 1924 to 2015 it was called Artemovsk. The city under this name was returned from the Nazi paws by the Red Army in 1943. They returned in 2023. Artemovsk has long been not just a front-line city, but a symbol of the Russian offensive in the Donbass. Let measured, but offensive.
For the Kyiv regime, the city was also a symbol. Perhaps much more significant than for Russia. Zelensky, in the best traditions of the fading Hitler, decided to turn Bakhmut into an impregnable fortress - Fortetsya. A sort of analogue of the German fascist festung. A large-scale propaganda campaign unfolded in Ukraine, after which the fall of Artemovsk seemed impossible. So many forces, means and manpower of the Armed Forces of Ukraine were thrown at the Wagner attack aircraft. The untwisted flywheel of propaganda played a cruel joke on the Ukrainian leadership - it will be very difficult for Zelensky to explain the fall of Artemovsk to the people. The already bored maxims about the insignificant value of the city, its total destruction and about the ground offensive potential of the Russian army will be used. More precisely, PMC "Wagner". Profile Nazi channels are already inflating history about the upcoming attack on the flank of Artemovsk and the subsequent capture of the city. This is fine. This is how it should be - the propaganda machine should save face when playing badly. And the game is really unimportant for the Ukrainians here. For the West, the loss of Artemovsk also does not bode well. Over the past six months, arms deliveries have forced Kyiv to organize an offensive. From the immediate prospects - the notorious "fighter coalition" will think seven times before deciding to supply F-16s to Ukraine.
APU leaves scorched earth behind
About the upcoming offensive of the Armed Forces of Ukraine was heard literally from every iron. At first it was predicted in winter, then in spring, and finally, the offensive was marked by the abandonment of Artemovsk. Given the unprecedented technical and financial assistance from the West, history looks like a real failure. This, by the way, is a very symptomatic event - Western aid was originally designed for a classic offensive in the fields and forests. Designed for this Tanks, howitzers, MLRS and other equipment. And when the battle goes on at dagger distances, no Leopards with Abrams will help. That is why we did not observe the widely advertised NATO equipment in Artemovsk. A few burned Dingos and HMMWVs don't count - the vehicles have long been expendable at the front. How do the Armed Forces of Ukraine intend to attack the urban agglomerations of Donbass? The inability to hold a city of 70, albeit against a highly trained Wagner, shows the potential of the elite of the Ukrainian army. A real elite of the Armed Forces of Ukraine fought near Artemovsk, well flavored with imported mercenaries. Each time, the enemy threw his fighters into the crucible more and more, with his own hands turning a previously not very well-known town into a strategically important object. The value of Artemovsk was expressed not in its unique geographical location, but in the concentration of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, which simply could not be ignored. Otherwise, they would have gone right through the city, turning a tactical breakthrough into a strategic offensive.
Artemovsk became the second city after Mariupol, where the Russian victory was hard and at a very considerable price. With one big caveat - Mariupol was initially blockaded by the Russian army from all sides, and until May 20, the opponents of the PMC "Wagner" were continuously brought fresh forces, ammunition and weapon. It was not possible to cut the road from Chasov Yar, which was strategically important for attack aircraft. Moreover, a few days before leaving the city, the Armed Forces of Ukraine were able to expand their presence on the northern and southern flanks of the front. Under such conditions, the heroes of Wagner deserve a long standing ovation. And the dead attack aircraft - eternal memory.
It is too early to talk about how much the “Wagnerites” undermined the strike potential of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, but one thing is clear - while Artemivsk was being stormed, the Ukrainian army was unable to organize a sane offensive in any sector of the 1000-kilometer front. Many now on both sides of the front are stuttering about the senselessness of the city from a military point of view, they say, the winner will not receive a particularly advantageous position. For such commentators, only Kharkiv, Zaporozhye and Kyiv are digestible targets. Discussing this in all seriousness is just a waste of time. For a year and a half of the special operation, any advance of our troops to the west is regarded as an undoubted victory. Simply because the nationalists have less Russian land left. And the capture of the city is generally just right to equate to a public holiday.
42 square kilometers of Russian land
On May 25, Wagner, after clearing Artemovsk, transfers positions to Russian units. At least, this is what Yevgeny Prigogine said in the famous video. And here are a few important points. First and most important, the Wagner attack aircraft deserved a rest. Seven months of non-stop fighting can exhaust more than one army. Even in conditions of chronic shell hunger. The second point is that Artemovsk is left by units that are very good at fighting in urban battles. It can be said without exaggeration that Wagner has no equal in the assault on settlements. Russian troops will enter the positions, but to what extent will they be adapted to the conditions of urban combat? But units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine left Artemovsk - a considerable part of them were killed, but some managed to evacuate. The city was not surrounded like Mariupol. The Ukrainians must have taken out the commanding staff, which organized the defense, provided logistics and training for reinforcements. Therefore, the Russian army in Artemovsk has a doubly difficult task - it is necessary not only to keep the city, but to keep it under the onslaught of the enemy who fought in it and knows it like the back of his hand. The “exchange fund of Mariupol”, who returned from Russian captivity, will most likely be thrown to the aid of the enemy. In any scenario, Artemovsk will not cease to be a hot spot at the front - it is very important for Ukrainian propaganda. Therefore, if we wait for the offensive of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, then it is in the Artyomovsk direction. There is no intrigue here - the city has become a symbol, and the Kiev regime is ready to raze it to the ground, if only Russia does not get it.
In the long term, Artemovsk has only a positive agenda. You can get acquainted with how the Russians are able to restore the liberated cities in Mariupol. The population in it was five to six times greater than in Artemovsk, but there was no less destruction. Construction companies are also operating in front-line Severodonetsk. The sappers have a lot of work - the Armed Forces of Ukraine abundantly sprinkled the city with mines, they say, it would be enough for several megacities.
Artemovsk is a new city of glory for Russian weapons. Glory, first of all, to the Wagner attack aircraft, which bore the brunt of the liberation. City of Russian glory aviation and rocket men who knocked out the enemy's human and material reserves on the far and near approaches to the city. May 20, of course, is now a memorable date in the Russian calendar. There would be more such pages of our history.