Bakhmut: Ukraine blows last bridge, Wagner dances on ruins

Bakhmut goes dark: bridges blown and Wagner dancing on ruins

The battle for Bakhmut enters its final phase. Ukrainian artillery has reportedly destroyed the bridge over the last supply route entering and leaving the city, according to messages circulating on social media. The destruction of nearby infrastructure — almost all bridges in the suburbs, according to one source — points to an imminent total withdrawal, with armored vehicles moving west overnight. Meanwhile, a Ukrainian aerial reconnaissance unit, known by its command call sign, reportedly received orders to abandon the stronghold urgently. Those trinc the front claim the city is practically empty and at the mercy of Russian forces.

Seven months of siege for a city like Soria

The most striking fact is the timeline. Estimates from participants in the discussion range from five to nine months of continuous assault, with most versions pointing to a period starting in the previous summer. The comparison with Spanish geography appears in the messages: Bakhmut has a size and population similar to Soria, yet it has consumed a disproportionate volume of military resources. The Russian army, presented for decades as the world's second, has failed to subdue a provincial town in three-quarters of a year.

Irony runs through much of the discussion. It is recalled that neither Napoleon could take Cadiz by land or sea after more than two and a half years of siege, and the wear and tear is compared to what Ukrainians would suffer if they attempted to assault Russian fortifications in the Donbass. The war, they say, is this: strongholds taken at the price of slaughter.

The wear and tear: 50,000 casualties and a weakened army

The figures discussed are difficult to verify but set the tone. One of the most repeated claims speaks of 50,000 Ukrainian casualties to defend a city many consider minor. Another view holds that Ukraine has spent more on arms than Russia's entire defense budget, and that this effort has not prevented Moscow from gaining ground.

The most technical analysis points to a change in doctrine. Far from the image of human waves charging trenches, several messages describe a tactic of superior firepower: artillery of various calibers, thermobaric munitions, and rockets pounding defensive positions for weeks. Strongholds, they argue, only serve to slow the attacker, not to stop them forever. And if the attacker has local artillery superiority, defense becomes an exercise in resistance with no guarantee of inflicting more casualties than received.

Who wins and who loses with the fall of Bakhmut?

Here opinions divide. Some argue that capturing Bakhmut is a textbook Russian success: the bulk of the Ukrainian army has been neutralized and defeated, making the path easier for Moscow and harder for Kiev. Conversely, the reading is that the wear and tear has been suffered by Wagner, not the regular Russian army, and that losing the city does not change the strategic balance. The bridge destruction, in this version, would be a defensive maneuver to avoid encirclement, not a sign of defeat.

The discussion on the immediate future is equally uncertain. Some anticipate that Russian forces will move to the next city and Ukrainian sarracena will fall, risking internal fracture. Others recall that the real objectives of each side are unclear, and attributing precise intentions to Moscow is a speculative exercise.

The war of narratives: from announced victory to the Chechen dance

The thread also reflects the narrative battle. In the days prior, some messages assumed Ukrainians had expelled Russians from the city; now their imminent fall is announced. This volatility fuels skepticism: each day brings a new victory report and a new correction. On the Russian side, propaganda celebrates with videos of Chechen troops dancing on taken ground, a gesture some interpret as confirmation of effective control and others as pure theater.

The discussion expands to broader issues: the role of NATO, aid from about thirty countries, Russia's alleged weakness, and the human cost of a war fought thousands of kilometers from the capitals funding it. Turtle war, some call it: advancing slowly, destroying everything, and taking no risks.

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With these threads, the fall of Bakhmut seems a matter of days, but no one dares to set a date. The destruction of the last bridges leaves the city isolated, which is usually the prelude to a withdrawal. What comes next — a new defensive line, a Ukrainian counteroffensive, or simply more ruins — is what none of the consulted sources dare to guarantee. The only certainty is that the map is moving, and the cost of each centimeter remains human.