Bloody battles in Bakhmut, and Ukraine prepares to use "Leopard 2" tanks

The Ukrainian army announced that its soldiers would wage bloody battles to prevent Russian forces from controlling the center of the city of Bakhmut, in the east of the country, while Ukrainian soldiers completed training on German-made Leopard 2 tanks in Spain, in preparation for their use on the battle fronts with Russia.

The commander of the Ukrainian Ground Forces, Oleksandr Sersky, said that the situation around Bakhmut is still difficult, stressing that the Wagner offensive units are advancing from several directions, in an attempt to penetrate the defenses of the Ukrainian forces and advance to the downtown neighborhoods.

And the ground forces in the Ukrainian army published pictures showing the commander of the ground forces inspecting his forces on the eastern front.

A military statement added that those forces are working to force the Russian forces to abandon the attack by incurring heavy losses.

Al-Jazeera correspondent quoted the Russian Ministry of Defense as saying that the Russian forces are advancing from the northwest side of Bakhmut.

This comes while the head of the Russian private military company Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, described the situation in Bakhmut as very difficult, adding that the Ukrainians cling to every meter in the city and receive non-stop support and endless supplies, he said.

Prigozhin added, on his account on Telegram, that with the advance of the forces to the center of Bakhmut, the battles became fiercer, but the progress continued thanks to his forces and thanks to the Russian weapons, denying the existence of any dispute or conflict between Wagner's fighters and the Russian armed forces.

Bakhmut became the main focus of Russia's winter campaign, with the participation of hundreds of thousands of newly recruited reservists and mercenaries.

The months-long battle for control of the city has become the bloodiest infantry battle in Europe since World War II, and each side describes the fight for Bakhmut as a fierce fight.

And Kiev announced last week that it had decided to defend Bakhmut instead of withdrawing, while the Russian forces, led by the Wagner Group, seized the eastern part of the city, but failed so far to besiege it.

Moscow says that wresting control of Bakhmut will constitute a major victory, as it will pave the way for controlling the rest of the surrounding Donetsk region, which is a central goal of the war, while Kiev asserts that it decided not to withdraw and continue fighting in order for the Russian forces to suffer losses.

Ukraine believes that the attack on Bakhmut is motivated by the need of Russian President Vladimir Putin to declare his only victory in more than 6 months.

Tank "Leopard 2"

Meanwhile, this week, 55 Ukrainian soldiers are completing a month-long training in Spain on the use of Leopard 2 tanks that Western countries sent to Kiev or promised to do so, according to what Madrid announced yesterday, Monday.

After arriving in Spain in mid-February, these Ukrainian soldiers are expected to head to Poland on Wednesday, before going to the Ukrainian battlefront, according to a Spanish government source.

The soldiers received training 12 hours a day, 6 days a week at the San Gregorio military base in the city of Zaragoza in northeastern Spain, said Spanish Captain Contreras, who did not reveal his name, during a visit to reporters.

Basically, this practical, technical and tactical training forms part of the military assistance that the European Union countries provide to Ukraine.

Contreras said these soldiers, who range in age from 21 to 60, with previous experience fighting tanks, "would like to go home" and would do so with "a more than acceptable knowledge of Leopard II battle tanks."

He pointed out that "despite the different combat tanks, there are many similar systems, and this makes things much easier."

He said that Ukrainian soldiers confirmed that these Leopard tanks "have superior capabilities over those they used before and those they encounter" from the Russian side.

The German-made Leopard 2 tanks are distinguished by giving them comprehensive protection for their crew from threats such as improvised explosive devices, mines or anti-tank fire.

And Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced in February that 6 Leopard 2 A4 tanks would be sent, and possibly 4 more tanks at a later time.

Other Western countries such as Poland, Germany, Sweden, Norway, Finland and Canada sent Leopard tanks to Ukraine or promised to send them to confront the Russian war.

Spring offensive

It is widely believed that Kiev is planning a counterattack later in the spring when the muddy terrain dries up and hundreds of armored vehicles and Western tanks, the Challenger and Leopard, arrive.

Leonid Khoda, commander of the Ukrainian 1st Tank Battalion fighting in the Donbass region, which includes the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, said the tanks would have a significant impact.

"Everyone is waiting, and the first tank battalion is also waiting. A short while ago, we sent soldiers to learn how to operate Leopard tanks," he told Reuters.

Ukraine says that the current exhaustion of the Russian army will help the success of its counter-offensive later.

However, not all military analysts in the West are convinced that Bakhmut is the best battlefield for the depletion of the Russians.

"Bakhmut is no longer a good place for attrition of Russian forces," Rob Lee, a US defense expert who visited the city this month, wrote on Twitter. "The attrition rate in Bakhmut is worse than other areas."