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USA TodayDec 23, 2022
Day 377: Zelenskyy Pledges to Continue Defense of Bakhmut
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Image copyright: Reuters [via Al Jazeera]
The Facts
Ukrainian Pres. Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Monday vowed to persevere in his country's defense of Bakhmut — known as Artyomovsk in Russian — amid reports that Russia is closing in on the capture of the Donetsk city.
Last week, an advisor to Zelenskyy suggested Ukraine may withdraw from Bakhmut. However, following a meeting with military leaders on Monday, Zelenskyy said in his nightly address that a decision had been made to continue the city's defense and to reinforce it with further troops. "There is no part of Ukraine about which one can say that it can be abandoned," he said.
The Spin
Pro-establishment narrative
Russian success in the Donetsk city of Bakhmut would only be symbolically important. It would not have a strategic or operational impact on the war, and would by no means mean Russia had turned the tide of the conflict.
Pro-Russia narrative
Russia's capture of Bakhmut is strategically important as it has long been the logistics hub for Ukraine's forces in the rest of Donetsk. Its capture would also open up further roads of potential Russian advance in the region.
