Bakhmut battle lays bare high stakes for both sides in Ukraine war
Leaning against a low wall in the shadow of a building large enough to provide cover from Russian shellfire, Mykhailo sips his tea with calm determination as he and fellow members of his unit await evacuation. For weeks, they have been defending Bakhmut against an intense Russian onslaught in a battle that has come to symbolize the savagery of the war in Ukraine.
Covered in mud and visibly exhausted, none of the men flinch or take cover when a mortar lands uncomfortably close. The fierce battle has subjected nearby towns such as Chasiv Yar, a few miles from the Bakhmut front line, to a constant barrage of tank shells, mortar rounds, and thundering Grad rockets.
“We are holding onto
