A top Ukrainian military commander has accused Russia of adopting “scorched earth” tactics in the eastern city of Bakhmut, “destroying buildings and positions with air strikes and artillery fire” in a bid to raze the region to the ground.
The tactic, employed in their efforts to crush the Syrian rebels against dictator Bashar al-Assad last decade, involves obliterating territory prior to advancing their infantry into the area.
It has been described as a brutal tactic that causes severe devastation and leaves regions in complete ruins. It is also a practice that appears unconcerned with the lives of civilians residing in the area.
“The enemy switched to the so-called scorched earth tactics from Syria. It is destroying buildings and positions with air strikes and artillery fire,” said Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskyi. “The situation is difficult but controllable.”
He also said Russian special forces and airborne assault units were being brought into Bakhmut to help the attack on the city as members of Russia’s Wagner military group had become “exhausted”.
Russia’s assault on Bakhmut, a small city in the Donetsk region, has been the focus of the biggest battle of Moscow’s full-scale invasion launched in February 2022. The battle has waged on for roughly 10 months and has claimed the lives of tens of thousands of soldiers.