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1/ The Commander of the Eastern Group of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Colonel-General Oleksandr Syrskyi, has given an interesting interview to Interfax-Ukraine. The full interview is worth reading, but his comments about the fighting in Bakhmut are particularly noteworthy: 
2/ INTERFAX-UA: What is the military expediency of such a long defence of Bakhmut, or in simple words – what does it give us?
3/ SYRSKYI: The battle for Bakhmut is important not only for the enemy but also for us. For several months in this area, we have been holding back the enemy's offensive and preventing them from expanding their frontline.
4/ In addition, we are inflicting significant losses on the enemy by destroying their most professional units, weapons and military equipment.
The continued retention of Bakhmut is important for our defence for several reasons:
The continued retention of Bakhmut is important for our defence for several reasons:
5/ - The city is an important defence hub, the maintenance of which ensures the sustainability of the defence of the group of troops as a whole;
- Bakhmut is a well-located natural fortress, surrounded by rivers and situated on hills, which facilitates defence;
- Bakhmut is a well-located natural fortress, surrounded by rivers and situated on hills, which facilitates defence;
6/ - the defence of the city is also facilitated by the presence of multi-storey buildings and developed infrastructure on the left bank of the Bakhmutovka River, where our troops are defending;
7/ - the battle to capture the city is a specific type of combat that requires special skills and creates difficulties for [Russian] troops who are attacking in the forest-steppe;
8/ - Bakhmut is part of the Kostyantynivka-Kramatorsk agglomeration, the retention of which prevents the enemy from reaching the flank and rear of our troops in the Lysychansk and Donetsk sectors.
INTERFAX-UA: Have the tactics of Russian troops in the east changed recently?
INTERFAX-UA: Have the tactics of Russian troops in the east changed recently?
9/ SYRSKYI: Of course, the enemy analyses the results of his actions, draws certain conclusions and improves his troops' tactics.
10/ For example, in each brigade (regiment), separate "Storm" assault units have been formed on the basis of motorised infantry companies reinforced by tanks, flamethrowers, mortar and anti-tank units, to recover lost positions.
11/ To create favourable conditions for assault operations, the enemy actively uses tank and artillery units (including from enclosed firing positions), inflicts heavy fire on our troops, destroys positions and then launches an assault.
12/ In the course of assault operations, UAVs are always used, which allows the enemy to adjust artillery fire, and the group commander can effectively manage subordinate personnel.
In urban environments, the enemy uses lengthy artillery attacks to fire on the target.
In urban environments, the enemy uses lengthy artillery attacks to fire on the target.
13/ A group of up to 10 people with small arms storms the attacked object directly. Military equipment is rarely used. The attack is usually carried out in 3-4 "waves". The losses of the assault group are promptly replenished by an evacuation group from distribution points.
14/ Assault group commanders use smartphones with special software called Alpine Quest GPS, which shows the coordinates of our firepower positions, attack targets, routes to them, and the tasks of neighbouring units."
15/ [Translator's note: AlpineQuest is an Android-only app for outdoor sports and activities, published by French developer Psyberia. See the link below.]
alpinequest.net
alpinequest.net
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