Bakhmut: ‘They hate our hardware’: Ukraine says it’s ‘unleashing hell’ on Russians near key city

NEW DELHI: Ukraine said that its use of Western-supplied heavy weaponry in the intense battle at the outskirts of Bakhmut, seized by Russia in May, is significantly impacting the enemy’s positions.
Ukrainian commanders told Reuters that their forces are giving Russians “hell” and leaving them wondering how much ammunition they have left.
Following the recent capture of the key village of Klishchiivka, Ukrainian troops are praising the 155 millimeter howitzers as a vital equipment supplied by the United States and its Nato allies.
Unit commander Oleksandr said that Ukraine’s armed forces “very much rely” on heavy artillery, including the Polish-made Krab gun and the US-made M109 self-propelled howitzer, reported Reuters.
Oleksandr added that even one gun can “completely turn the situation around” and stop the enemy in their tracks.
“The main thing is to aim where needed. They (the Russians) hate our hardware. That’s what we gather from our intercepts. We hear that we keep giving them hell and they keep wondering how much ammunition we have left,” he said.
Ukrainian commanders have described the seizure of Klischiivka and the nearby Andriivka as strategic milestones on the path to reclaiming Bakhmut.
The town had been occupied by the Russians following several months of some of the war’s most intense combat.
These gains represent some of the most substantial advancements in Ukraine’s counteroffensive, which commenced in June and faced challenges in penetrating the well-fortified Russian positions.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and senior officials have celebrated the progress and dismissed Western criticism suggesting that the counteroffensive is progressing too slowly.
(With inputs from Reuters)