Stressed civilians flee fierce fighting in Ukraine's Bakhmut

Record ID: 1705303

  • Title: Stressed civilians flee fierce fighting in Ukraine's Bakhmut
  • Date: 5th January 2023
  • Summary: BAKHMUT, DONETSK REGION, UKRAINE (JANUARY 5, 2023) (REUTERS) EXPLOSION IN THE DISTANCE/ SMOKE RISING VARIOUS OF SMOKE RISING IN THE DISTANCE/ AUDIO OF EXPLOSIONS SOLEDAR, DONETSK REGION, UKRAINE (JANUARY 5, 2023) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF UKRAINIAN SURFACE TO AIR MISSILE LAUNCHER DRIVING PAST BAKHMUT, DONETSK REGION, UKRAINE (JANUARY 5, 2023) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (Ukrainian) VIKTOR, 39, SOLDIER OF ASSAULT BRIGADE 46 SAYING: “We are hearing that their troops are getting transferred from Bakhmut to Soledar. They (the Russian soldiers) aren’t able to rip through the defence, so now they aim for Soledar to get through there.” SOLDIERS RIDING ON TOP OF MILITARY VEHICLE SEEN FROM MOVING VEHICLE LINE OF UKRAINIAN MILITARY VEHICLES STATIONARY ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD CLOSE OF VEHICLE WINDSHIELD CRACKED BY BULLET DAMAGED MILITARY VEHICLE CLOSE OF DAMAGED FLAT TYRE (SOUNDBITE) (Ukrainian) VIKTOR, 39, SOLDIER OF ASSAULT BRIGADE 46 SAYING: “Of course we feel positive about it (the Makiivka attack on Russian soldiers). The more orcs die, the better. Though I feel sorry for our boys. They try to hold through, to fight back, but the situation is not stable.” DESTROYED RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS/ AUDIO OF EXPLOSION CAT SITTING ON RUBBLE VARIOUS OF COLLAPSED RESIDENTIAL BUILDING / EXPLOSIONS HEARD IN THE BACKGROUND
  • Embargoed: 19th January 2023 16:23
  • Keywords: Bakhmut evacuations Ukraine war
  • Location: BAKHMUT AND SOLEDAR, DONETSK REGION, UKRAINE
  • City: BAKHMUT AND SOLEDAR, DONETSK REGION, UKRAINE
  • Country: Ukraine
  • Topics: Conflicts/War/Peace,Europe,Military Conflicts,Editors' Choice
  • Reuters ID: LVA001063905012023RP1
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Ukrainian and Russian troops battled in eastern regions on Thursday (January 5) as Kyiv tried to push back occupying forces, while President Volodymyr Zelenskiy urged the West to provide his army with heavy tanks to boost their firepower.
    The Ukrainian military said the Russians were focused on an offensive in the Bakhmut sector of the Donetsk region, but their attacks in the Avdiivka and Kupiansk sectors were unsuccessful.
    The governor of neighbouring Luhansk region Ukrainian troops were recapturing areas there "step-by-step" but cautioned it was "not happening fast".
    One Ukrainian soldier told Reuters that Russian troops were being transferred from Bakhmut to Soledar after failing to break through.
    Reuters could not independently verify the claim.
    Civilians, aided by a non-governmental organisation 'ELEOS Ukraine', scrambled to evacuate people from Bakhmut and the destruction visible all around as the fighting is set to intensify for the rest of the winter.
    “All this noise is unbearable. We get no sleep, and we have no windows left in the apartment. I have all the necessities, but no glass on the windows. All darkness. We covered everything with foil, but it doesn’t help. It’s hard to get up in the morning. No one could have imagined this. Because it is very hard. Tears every day. I'm standing here now and my tears keep falling," said resident, Lidya Dmytrivna.
    Bakhmut, which is now largely in ruins after months of battering by Russian artillery, is important because the Russian leadership wants a success to hold up to its public after a series of setbacks in the war.
    It is located on a supply line between Donetsk and Luhansk. Gaining control of Bakhmut, with a pre-war population of 70,000-80,000 that has shrunk to close to 10,000, could give Russia a stepping stone to advance on two bigger cities - Kramatorsk and Sloviansk.
    Fighting has been particularly tough there, with commanders on both sides describing it as a "meat grinder".
    Those who remain in Bakhmut take shelter in a fortified humanitarian aid point.
    The Head of the Bakhmut Humanitarian centre said Anna Holubtsova they try to keep busy by helping as many people as they can.
    “You know what they say, people get used to good things quickly and to bad things slowly. But they become accustomed. Work is the meaning of life today. If we didn’t have it, we would go insane. But we know that we have to come here and help people. Not only with resources, but with a kind word,” said Holubtsova.
    Ukraine's military said it estimated 800 Russian soldiers were killed in the past day, mostly in fighting in Donetsk. The figure - which would signify a huge loss of life for a single day - could not be independently confirmed.
    The Luhansk governor, Serhiy Haidai, said he expected fighting to intensify across the eastern front as temperatures drop further and the ground freezes.
    The Ukrainian President said his troops outside Bakhmut were inflicting numerous losses on their adversaries and Russia was building up its forces in the region.
    Russian air, missile and rocket attacks on Bakhmut and two other cities in Donetsk - Kostiantynivka and Kurakhove - had caused an unspecified number of civilian casualties, Ukraine's military said.
    Russia denies targeting civilians in what it calls its special military operation in Ukraine.
    Luhansk and Donetsk make up the Donbas region, Ukraine's industrial heartland, parts of which were seized by Russian-backed proxies in 2014.
    Russia declared Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions as part of its territory in September after referendums condemned by Ukraine and Western countries.
    Russia does not fully control any of the four regions.
    (Production: Herbert Villarraga, Vanessa Romeo)
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