NATO allies consider more armaments for Ukraine as Russian forces press in on Bakhmut

• Russia pounds frontlines in the south and east.
• City of Bakhmut prepares for assault.
• NATO ministers meet to discuss arms supplies.

Russian soldiers bombarded Ukrainian troops and towns along the frontlines in the eastern Donetsk area on Tuesday, in what appeared to be the first salvos of a fresh onslaught, as Western allies met in Brussels to arrange increased supplies to the Kyiv administration.

Bakhmut, a key goal for Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invading troops, was in jeopardy.

“There is not a single square meter in Bakhmut that is safe or that is not in range of enemy fire or drones,” regional governor Pavlo Kyrylenko told Ukraine’s national broadcaster.

He claimed that Russian artillery was targeting sites all along the frontlines in Donetsk, which, combined with the Luhansk region, forms the Donbas, Ukraine’s industrial heartland and a key Russian target.

With the first anniversary of the invasion coming, the Kremlin has increased activities across a wide swath of southern and eastern Ukraine, and a major new attack is generally expected.

Prior to a meeting of NATO defense ministers in Brussels, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg stated that Western countries needed to increase ammunition shipments to Kyiv.

“We see no signs that President Putin is preparing for peace. What we see is the opposite, he is preparing for more war, for new offensives and new attacks,” he told reporters.

Ukraine’s military stated on Tuesday that its soldiers had withstood attacks in five Luhansk settlements and six Donetsk settlements, including Bakhmut, in the previous 24 hours.

They had also repelled an attack on a town in the Kharkiv region of northeast Ukraine, which borders Russia.

Difficult as a whole, but controlled

“The situation is difficult as a whole but controlled,” Kyrylenko said. “The enemy has not been able to achieve a tactical or strategic success there.”

The Wagner group’s mercenaries have led the Russian attack on Bakhmut. Britain stated on Tuesday that the mercenaries had made limited gains in the city’s northern outskirts over the previous three days, but that a push south of Bakhmut had likely made little headway.

The seizure of Bakhmut would be a stepping stone for Russia to march on two larger cities in Donetsk, Kramatorsk, and Sloviansk, and would provide Russia with new momentum after months of failures since its invasion last February 24.

Russia now controls large swaths of southern Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, including its nuclear reactor, as well as practically all of Luhansk and more than half of Donetsk, including the regional capital. Despite the fact that Moscow does not fully control any of the four areas, it claims to have annexed them all.

CITY IN RUINS

Bakhmut, a major transportation and logistical hub have been shelled for months, and several districts are in ruins. Only about 5,000 civilians remain out of a pre-war population of about 70,000, according to Kyrylenko. In preparation for street battle, troops have strengthened their positions.

Authorities intended to limit the number of people present and evacuate the injured, he said.

“Thank you to every one of our soldiers who are preventing the occupiers from encircling Bakhmut,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in an evening address.

According to Ukrainian officials, the Russians suffered significant losses around Vuhledar, a town about 150 kilometers southwest of Bakhmut, including tanks and armored vehicles as well as people.

With Ukraine anxious for more armaments, particularly fighter jets, and long-range missiles, ministers from several NATO countries and Ukraine’s other partners met in Brussels to discuss additional military aid.

NATO defense ministers were scheduled to meet later in the day.

Beyond conversations about additional weapons for Kyiv, Stoltenberg stated that already-delivered arms must be kept operational. He stated that while the topic of planes would be discussed, Ukraine required assistance on the ground right now.

Ukraine is using shells at a rate quicker than the West can produce them.

Germany announced it has signed contracts with arms maker Rheinmetall (RHMG.DE) to restart ammunition production for Gepard anti-aircraft guns it has delivered to Kyiv.

U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin reaffirmed that Washington and NATO were with Ukraine for the long haul.

“That shared resolve will sustain Ukraine’s momentum in the weeks ahead,” Austin said in Brussels. “The Kremlin is still betting that it can wait us out.”

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