“We must save lives”: Zelensky comments on the loss of Vuhledar
3 October 2024 16:40
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy commented on the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from Vuhledar. The President of Ukraine made the following statement on 3 October during a joint press conference with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, reports "Komersant Ukrainian".
The head of state expressed confidence that the withdrawal of the Ukrainian Armed Forces from Vuhledar had saved the lives of Ukrainian soldiers.
“When they (the Russian military – ed.) destroy the positions of our fighters, we must save their lives, because they are more important than any buildings. They are our people, they are citizens of Ukraine. Therefore, it is very right that they withdraw and can save themselves,” Zelenskyy said.
The Ukrainian leader also called on international partners to provide Ukraine with the opportunity to stop Russia with certain weapons, to grant permission, to provide the appropriate systems.
“Why are we so insistent on using long-range weapons? Without it, we cannot stop Russia, which is using these weapons against us. They are destroying everything, destroying the positions of our soldiers. They need to save their lives, because they are much more important than any buildings. Because they are our people, they are citizens of Ukraine. So it’s very right that they leave and can save themselves for the sake of the state and for the sake of their heroic service. These are absolutely the right steps,” the President said.
Ukrainian Armed Forces withdrawal from Vuhledar: what is known
on 2 October, the Defence Forces officially confirmed their withdrawal from Vuhledar in Donetsk Oblast.
The high command gave permission to withdraw units from Vuhledar to save the lives of soldiers and military equipment, and to take up a position for further action.
“In an attempt to take control of the city at any cost, the enemy managed to send reserves to conduct flanking attacks that depleted the defence of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. As a result of the enemy’s actions, there was a threat of encirclement of the city,” the official statement said.
The fighting for Vuhledar has been going on since November 2022, and the town has been almost completely destroyed.
“The city’s infrastructure has been severely damaged over almost a year of shelling. People started leaving a long time ago, about 100 people remained. When we left the city, it was already a ruined city, just like Bakhmut and Avdiivka were in their time. Once the enemy enters the city, they will try to form a bridgehead and amass forces, but it would be an advantage if they could occupy industrial facilities, but the city is destroyed,” summed upivan Tymochko, Chairman of the Council of Reservists of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
How the loss of Vuhledar will affect the further course of the war in Ukraine
Western military experts say that the occupation of Vuhledar will allow the enemy to use the railway lines between Donetsk and Mariupol more efficiently and significantly improve logistics. For their part, the Defence Forces will build a new defence line further north, in such settlements as Bohoyavlenka.
In his turn, military expert Dmytro Snegiryov told Times of Ukraine saidthat the fall of Vuhledar in Donetsk region is a significant loss for the Defence Forces. After all, now Russia will be able to reach the rear positions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces up to 30-40 km deep with shelling.
“They managed to capture Vuhledar because of their 3:1 advantage in munitions, the use of some of the most combat-ready units of the Russian Federation and, most importantly, their air dominance. In the Vuhledar direction, they are able to cover the Ukrainian Armed Forces with up to a hundred airbases,” the expert said, commenting on the reasons for the withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from the city.
The AP, citing its own sources , notes that the fall of Vuhledar is the result of the US refusal to allow Ukraine to strike deep into Russia.
The media outlet writes that the withdrawal of the Ukrainian Armed Forces from the town is an indicator of Ukraine’s difficult situation in the third year of the full-scale war. It also reflects the US refusal to grant Ukraine permission to carry out long-range strikes on targets deep inside Russia, which prevents Kyiv from reducing Moscow’s military capabilities.
