United States Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said that the possible withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from Bakhmut to the Donetsk region would not mean a loss in the war.

In a daily review of hostilities on Channel 24, Colonel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and military expert Roman Svitan explained why Ukraine really needs Bakhmut.

Holding Bakhmut

Roman Svitan said that the Armed Forces of Ukraine are not holding the city, but the defense line, which is located in the Bakhmut region and runs mainly along the Bakhmutka River. It is very difficult for Russians to approach it from the east and south.

If Bakhmut had not been there, this city would not have existed at all, this line would have been held. There are tens of kilometers of the route here, there is no city, but the Russians are fighting against this route and do not pass, – Svitan explained.

A route that is beneficial to the APU / Screenshot

“The track itself is a line of defense. Heights begin behind it and it is very good to hold it. There are almost flat fields, it is very difficult to approach, which is why the Russians cannot do this,” the military expert added.

Why the Armed Forces of Ukraine should not leave Bakhmut

The colonel of the reserve of the Armed Forces of Ukraine noted that if you abandon this line of defense, then you will have to look for another one. And they can become – Chasov Yar.

“This is a withdrawal of more than 10 kilometers. Moreover , we will have to withdraw from several more villages, because they will not be covered by flank garrisons,” Svitan emphasized.

Other frontiers for the Armed Forces / Screenshot

According to him, the front, of course, will not crumble, but in this part it will definitely fail. After all, then you have to go behind the highway Konstantinovka – Bakhmut. That is why Ukraine holds this line of defense.

The blow that the Russians will not withstand

The military expert said that the Bakhmut garrison does not allow the enemies to break out strongly towards Slavyansk . It will be very difficult for the Russians, because if they go at least another 10 kilometers towards Slavyansk, they will fall under the powerful flank attacks of the Kramatorsk and Druzhkovskaya groups.

“And these are flank strikes – they simply won’t withstand them. That is why they are crying out in Prigozhin’s information space that he cannot move, because he has problems with the flanks,” Svitan added.

News from the front: latest events

• The Russian invaders officially acknowledged that Popasna, in the Luhansk region, no longer exists. Even before the full-scale invasion, 20,000 people lived there. The fact that the city no longer exists is confirmed by the illegitimate “laws” of the quasi-republic of the “LPR” – “On the administrative-territorial structure” and “On the formation of urban and municipal districts on the territory of the “LPR”.
• The situation in the Belogorovsk direction is absolutely stable. The Ukrainian military courageously hold the line, and all attempts by the enemy to go on the offensive there are defeated.
• APU shot down a modernized Chinese drone in the East of Ukraine. We are talking about Mugin-5, which was used by the invaders.