Nicolas Tonev (special envoy to Bakhmout), edited by Ophélie Artaud
modified to
8:06 p.m., June 20, 2022
During the night of Sunday to Monday, Ukrainian forces managed to repel a Russian attack in the hotly disputed region of Donbass. If Volodymyr Zelensky expects an intensification of attacks in the east and south of the country this week, in the city of Bakhmout, the Ukrainian army is resisting and continuing to repel the enemy.
During the night from Sunday to Monday, the Ukrainian forces managed to repel the Russian attack in the Donbass region. But Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky expects attacks to escalate in the east and south of the country this week, including in the hotly contested region, where the Ukrainians are trying to prevent the Russians from reaching the key city of Kramatorsk. . About 50 kilometers away, the Ukrainian army continues to push back the enemy on the road which connects the towns of Bakhmout and Kramatorsk. Fighting and bombardments are permanent there.
Permanent bombardments
In Bakhmout, the din of artillery departures is incessant, like the hissing and explosion of arrivals. The Russians are closing in. On their side, a column of Ukrainian tanks rushes towards the front.
“These are my men. I am the second in command of the Tank Company,” explains Mikita, a 21-year-old lieutenant in a khaki t-shirt and hat, who has just graduated from his military school. “The enemy has broken our line of defense. So, with my men, we are going to defend this line because we are trying to save the road between Lysytchansk, Severodonetsk and Bakhmout. If the enemy takes this road, it will be difficult for us” , worries the young soldier.
“It’s very difficult for morale”
Difficult, it is already. “Don’t give any information, our guys are dying,” yelled a man aboard a military ambulance evacuating the wounded. “There are a lot of wounded soldiers. It’s very difficult for morale,” adds the young officer.
Tanks continue to arrive from Kramatorsk, as a sign of the importance of the battle ahead.