ISW: Russian troops gain 192 sq km of territory in Bakhmut area of Ukraine in three months

The pace of Russian advances in the Bakmut area of Ukraine has not increased in the last several weeks, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) reports in its daily bulletin. 

According to the ISW estimates, Russian troops “gained 100 sq km in the Bakhmut area between October 1 and November 1 and 92 sq km between November 1 and December 20”, thus, gaining 192 sq km in total.

“The pace of Russian advances in the Bakhmut area over the past 50 days is roughly equivalent to the pace of Russian advances during the month of October. Russian sources will likely continue to try to falsely assert that Russian forces are taking a notable amount of territory in the Bakhmut area,” the ISW experts say.

On 20 December, the Russian army continued advances in the Bakhmut area. Ukraine’s General Staff reported that the Ukrainian Armed Forces had repelled attacks 33 km northeast of Bakhmut near the Verkhnokamyanske village and the town of Pidhorodne and 14 km south of Bakhmut near the villages Opytne and Kurdyumivka, ISW notes.

Yesterday, 20 December, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky visited the city of Bakhmut, Donetsk region. Heavy fighting has been going on in the city for weeks, with both Russia and Ukraine suffering significant losses. The Ukrainian president awarded medals to Ukraine’s Armed Forces’ soldiers.