Frag Out! Magazine
Issue link: https://fragout.uberflip.com/i/1497523
Donbas Reality The Russians spare Bakhmut not without a reason. In the spring, and in the summer the Russians had no reservations when destroying the cities before the urban warfare even began. This is best depicted by the fate faced by Mariupol and Severdonetsk. Back then it was not assumed that the war would last until the winter and that the profile of the conflict would change so dramatically. The Bakhmut's infrastructure is needed by the aggressor, to get a winter rest. Two-thirds of winter are still ahead of us, and springtime can also be harsh in Ukraine. The residential building shelters us from the poor weather - especially however, as it is a multi-story building with a solid basement, it protects us from UAVs carrying small explosives. Thanks to their silent motors, the shelling, those UAVs can surprise the enemy, precisely eliminating individual soldiers. The Russians have lost thousands of troops that way. The same applies to the Ukrainians - even though they have been the pioneers in the use of drones as such, thus having more experience in that department. Saving the city makes it easier for the „Robinsons" of Bakhmut - 70,000 people lived there before the invasion, with a couple thousand left behind. This is the number listed by the Ukrainian soldiers. The elderly, and people who have been broken in several ways did not agree to be evacuated - they have nowhere to go, and no money to fund any kind of escape plan. „You'll meet a lot of homeless people, hobos, alcoholics, drug addicts", I was told prior to my trip. Did I meet them? Bakhmut has no heating, gas, or electricity. The citizens have no access to water different from puddles. In the winter, in conditions like such, www.fragoutmag.com