'Explosions Every Minute:' Inside Bakhmut As Fighting Rages
Ukrainian soldiers walk past graffiti declaring “Bakhmut loves Ukraine” on December 18.
Both Russia and Ukraine are currently pouring men and materiel into the fight for Bakhmut, a city in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine which has relatively minor military significance but has become a fiercely contested symbol for both sides.
A Ukrainian tank photographed on the outskirts of the embattled city.
Invading Russian forces first reached the edge of Bakhmut in July, before the tide of the war appeared to swing in Ukraine’s favor after several Russian withdrawals.
A ruined building in Bakhmut
These images were made by Ukrainian photojournalist Andriy Dubchak for the Donbas Frontliner project on December 18 as battles continued to rage on the outskirts of Bakhmut, located around 65 kilometers from Donetsk.
Ukrainian soldiers rest between combat duties at an underground base in Bakhmut.
From its peacetime population of around 70,000, only some 10,000 people remain in the city.
A civilian with axes in Bakhmut. Residents are using trees for heating and to cook food in the frontline city.
In a post on social media, photographer Andriy Dubchak says explosions are heard “every minute” in central Bakhmut.
Shattered windows on a building in Bakhmut.
Ukrainian soldiers say Russian forces are currently employing massively costly tactics in which poorly trained soldiers are ordered to advance toward Ukrainian lines effectively as "bait" to draw fire, helping soldiers in the rear to identify Ukrainian positions.
Troops file past a ruined cafe in Bakhmut.
The continuous incoming shelling, Dubchak says is “really crazy, really scary” in the center of Bakhmut because “Russia shells without any logic.”
A man with a section of tree that will be used for firewood. Graffiti on the wall behind him says: “Glory to Ukraine!”
Dubchak says the reasons for residents remaining in the city are varied, including the urge to protect their properties, and fear of what life would be like as an internally displaced person. According to Dubchak, there are also some civilians who are waiting for the arrival of the “Russian world” promised in Kremlin propaganda.
A Ukrainian soldier gestures in an underground military base.
Ukrainian fighters told Dubchak that the fighting has become somewhat easier than in the early weeks of the 2022 invasion thanks to the supply of largely Western weapons, and the battle experience that Kyiv's forces have now attained.
Still, Dubchak says of the freezing, beleaguered city, "Bakhmut is a nightmare."