Bakmut:
The use of Western-supplied heavy weapons in the fierce battle on the outskirts of Bakhmut, captured by Russia in May, is taking a significant toll on enemy lines, Ukrainian commanders told Reuters.
Buoyed after last week’s capture of the key village of Klishchiivka, Ukrainian forces have hailed the 155-millimeter howitzers as key equipment provided by the United States and its NATO allies.
Unit commander Oleksandr said Ukraine’s armed forces are “highly dependent” on heavy artillery, including the Polish-made Krab gun and the US-made M109 self-propelled howitzer.
“Even one weapon can completely change the situation. With one such weapon an attack can be stopped,” he said.
“The most important thing is to aim where necessary. They (the Russians) hate our hardware. That’s what we get from our intercepts. We hear that we keep giving them hell and they keep wondering how much ammunition we have left. “
Oleksandr, 30, described Klishchiivka – a village on the heights south of the destroyed city of Bakhmut – as “one of the places they (the Russians) clung to.”
“We will see what’s next. We will continue to develop our success,” he said.
Ukrainian commanders have described the capture of Klischiivka and nearby Andriivka as a stepping stone to recapturing Bakhmut, which fell to the Russians after months of some of the war’s heaviest fighting.
The gains are among the most significant of Ukraine’s counteroffensive, which began in June and struggled to break through entrenched Russian lines.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and senior officials have welcomed the progress and rejected criticism from the West that the counter-offensive is progressing too slowly.
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