Ukraine pulling out of Bakhmut would not be considered a significant “strategic setback,” despite the intense conflict surrounding the area, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Monday.
Bakhmut is in the Eastern Ukrainian region of Donetsk, one of the two regions that comprise the Donbas breakaway area that was central to Russia’s justification for its invasion on February 24, 2022. Donetsk is one of the four regions—along with Kherson, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia—that Russia said it annexed from Ukraine last fall, a claim that has been broadly rejected by other nations.
The city, having suffered major damage during the year-long conflict, remains under Ukrainian control despite Russia’s attempted annexation. Russian forces have led an intense assault against Ukrainian forces in Bakhmut since August, gradually encircling the area amid reports that Kyiv could soon withdraw from the city.
On Monday, Austin downplayed the potential damage that a Bakhmut withdrawal would do to Ukraine’s overall defensive efforts. As tweeted by CNN’s Kaitlan Collins, the secretary said he would not “view [a possible withdrawal] as an operational or strategic setback,” and argued that it would be “more of a symbolic value” for Russia and would not “necessarily mean the Russians have changed the tide of this fight.”
Austin’s comments echo observations made about the battle of Bakhmut on Friday by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), which said that the recent destruction of two key bridges in the city could be the prelude to Ukrainian forces withdrawing from the area.
“Ukrainian forces appear to be setting conditions for a controlled fighting withdrawal from parts of Bakhmut,” the ISW said, adding that the destruction of bridges might be intended to limit Russian mobility in the city.
Philip Ingram, a former British military intelligence officer, previously told Newsweek that he believes Ukraine is preparing for a withdrawal. He also said that the defense of Bakhmut had been intended to keep Russian troops fixed on an area of little strategic value for a long period of time.
“It is clear that the Ukrainians are setting the conditions to potentially withdraw from what I see as a hugely successful ‘fixing’ operation over the last seven months,” Ingram said.
Ukrainian officials have downplayed the idea that they are preparing to withdraw from Bakhmut. Ukrainian Army spokesman Serhiy Cherevatyi told CNN on Saturday that the main conflict remains just outside the city.
“The fighting in Bakhmut is more on the outskirts, with the city controlled by Ukrainian defense forces: the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the Border Guard and the National Guard,” Cherevatyi said. “There is also no mass withdrawal of Ukrainian troops. There were 21 enemy attacks with the use of various artillery systems and MLRS near Bakhmut alone, and nine combat engagements. One hundred and thirty-one attacks and 38 combat engagements took place on this front totally.”
Newsweek reached out to defense experts for comment.
Ukraine pulling out of Bakhmut would not be considered a significant “strategic setback,” despite the intense conflict surrounding the area, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Monday.
