The capture of Bakhmut will not mean that Russia has changed the course of the war, according to US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin. According to him, this town is more of symbolic importance than an operational one, and Russian success in it will not mean that Moscow has regained momentum, The Guardian reports.
“I think it is more of a symbolic value than it is strategic and operational value,” he told reporters while visiting Jordan.
He added that he would not predict if Bakhmut would be taken by Russian forces.
“The fall of Bakhmut won’t necessarily mean that the Russians have changed the tide of this fight,” he said.
The enemy has been trying to capture Bakhmut for many months. The occupiers fighting there are, in particular, mercenaries of the Wagner Group. However, Moscow has to replace them with army soldiers, as most of the Wagner Group's units have been destroyed by the Ukrainian military.
As of 4 March, the Eastern Military Group assessed the situation in Bakhmut as difficult but under control.