Kiev forces blow up dam near Bakhmut to slow down Russia: DPR official

• 

Soldiers for the Ukrainian armed forces blew up a dam near Bakhmut, also known as Artyomovsk, in a bid to slow down the Russian offensive and force civilians to leave the besieged city, an adviser to the head of the Donetsk People's Republic, Igor Kimakovsky, said Saturday.

"The dam was blown up, and the resulting torrent of water flowed toward Artyomovsk. They are likely trying to halt our offensive. Maybe they want to try and cut off our assault units from the rear to slow down munition supply," Kimakovsky told Russian news agency Sputnik.

⚡️Apparently, the armed forces of Ukraine blew up a dam in Bakhmut to slow down Wagner advancements pic.twitter.com/aE87tJ6vUS

— War Monitor (@WarMonitors) February 25, 2023

According to the advisor, the move could also mean that Ukrainians were preparing to abandon the city to the Russian forces and were getting "desperate."

"They told civilians to evacuate… Their goal is to make living conditions unbearable. They do not care about the people; they only care about destroying the city so that it would be economically unfeasible for us to rebuild," Denis Pushilin's advisor added.

Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Irna Vereshchuk urged last week all residents of Bakhmut to evacuate from the city immediately. "I appeal to the civilians who are still in Bakhmut. If you are adequate, law-abiding, and patriotic citizens, you must evacuate immediately," she wrote on Telegram. 

The official declared that up to 6,000 people were still present in the city that was taken over by Russian forces, adding that staying could "expose them to danger...second, you are creating additional problems and risks for all those people who are trying to help you (the military, the national police, volunteers). Third, you prevent our defense and security forces from working normally in the city. Because they have to be concerned about your safety all the time. Therefore, I once again urge you to evacuate immediately."

Russian forces gained ground in the northern part of the strategic city of Bakhmut and blocked three out of four routes supplying Ukrainian troops since early February.

Days earlier, White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby warned that the city of Bakhmut may fall to Wagner forces, but it will not have a strategic bearing on the war as a whole.

Kirby acknowledged the recent advances made by Wagner in Bakhmut but noted that it was still uncertain whether the city would fall. 

The remarks on the status of Bakhmut came as he responded to a question about the US encouraging Ukraine to redirect their efforts and resources elsewhere rather than exhausting them on a losing battle. 

Further Russian advances

The Yagodnoye community to the north of Artyomovsk (called Bakhmut in Ukraine) has been completely taken over by Russian forces, Yevgeny Prigozhin, the founder of the Wagner private military company said on Saturday.

#Bakhmut MAP on 25/2/23.
Wagner forces took full control of the settlement of Yahidne/Yagodnoe. pic.twitter.com/4bCsqNfKmz

— Military Advisor (@miladvisor) February 25, 2023

"On February 25, the assault units of the Wagner PMC completely captured the populated locality of Yagodnoye north of Bakhmut," the Telegram channel of Prigozhin’s press service quoted him as saying.

Furthermore, Prigozhin's press service also published a photo of Wagner fighters in front of the settlement’s entry sign. Yagodnoye is adjacent to Artyomovsk’s northern suburbs.

This comes after a US mercenary fighting on the frontlines against the Russian armed forces said the Bakhmut frontlines were highly gruesome, comparing it to a meat grinder, as Russia pushes against Kiev's forces in the city for which battles have been taking place for months.

Former US Marine Troy Offenbecker underlined to ABC News that the life expectancy of Ukrainian soldiers on the city's frontlines was only about four hours, with a major offensive still expected from Russia.

Offenbecker underlined that he was not sure how long Kiev's forces would be able to hold the city, adding that the expected offensive had already kicked off and that attacks from Russians have been "nonstop" in Bakhmut, with artillery raining down upon it "all day and night".