"The Russians will not take Bakhmut. Ever." Oleksandre Zhivov, a 60-year-old farmer, fled this town in eastern Ukraine that had been under relentless attack for months by Moscow forces. But it is certain that the Ukrainian army will hold firm.
In Chassiv Iar, a small town located a few kilometers west of Bakhmout, the thunder of Ukrainian artillery, to which the whistling of Russian shells respond, reminds us that this corner of Donbass has become the epicenter of the war.
In recent days, Russian forces have claimed gains around Bakhmout, especially in the north, stepping up their efforts to encircle the city where both sides have suffered heavy losses since the summer.
But on Tuesday, the boss of the Russian paramilitary group Wagner, Yevgeny Prigojine, whose men are leading the charge, estimated that "Bakhmout will not be taken tomorrow" because of the fierce resistance of the Ukrainians.
“There is strong resistance, pounding, the meat grinder is in action,” Mr Prigozhin said. "We won't be partying anytime soon."
Oleksandre Zhiv left Bakhmut with his wife and their dog at the start of the Russian invasion last year, when a missile hit their house.
They took refuge in Chassiv Iar, but the strikes which regularly hit this town forced them to settle in Kostiantynivka, even further to the west. They will return as soon as they can.
"Now we are waiting for the Ukrainian army to drive out" the Russians from Bakhmout, Mr. Jivov told AFP. The farmer hopes that the Moscow forces will be routed in the next two months, before the "sowing season".
If he returned to Chassiv Iar that day, it was to pick up a bag of food aid distributed in an old House of Culture, in front of which other residents who had left Bakhmout were waiting on a snowy sidewalk.
"The Russians will not take Bakhmout," says Mr. Jivov. "They will never take it. We know that".
While the strategic importance of Bakhmout is disputed, the city has acquired a status as a symbol of the struggle between Moscow and kyiv for control of the industrial region of Donetsk.
And despite the optimism displayed by Mr. Zhivov, the Ukrainian authorities have repeatedly admitted in recent days that the situation around Bakhmout was increasingly "complicated".
Russian forces this week claimed the capture of the village of Paraskoviïvka in the north, about ten kilometers from the center of Bakhmout.
And pro-Russian separatists claimed that troops from Moscow now had three of Ukraine's four supply routes to Bakhmut under their control.
Faced with the risk of encirclement, the authorities restricted access to Bakhmout for civilians, including members of humanitarian organizations and journalists.
About 5,000 inhabitants are still in Bakhmout, which had some 70,000 before the war, according to the Ukrainian army.
Despite recent successes claimed by Moscow, the Wagner boss on Tuesday underlined the still strong resistance of kyiv forces.
"The adversary is active and constantly sending new reserves. Every day, between 300 and 500 fighters arrive in Bakhmout from everywhere, the artillery fire is increasing every day," he said. -he says.
Despite the escalating fighting in the region and the death of her son in a Russian strike, Nadezhda Vasykova, a 62-year-old resident of Chassiv Iar, refuses to leave.
"It's hard. But I won't leave," she insists, holding up a plastic bag full of foodstuffs, including flour, pasta, bread, canned goods and matches.
"I will not leave my apartment," she continues. "I prefer to die at home".
14/02/2023 18:59:00 - Tchassiv Iar (Ukraine) (AFP) - © 2023 AFP
