“Financial Times writes that the decision to keep Bakhmut at any cost could not come from the military command, but from the President’s office-in particular, from his head Andriy Yermak. According to two Ukrainian officials involved in military planning, Yermak repeatedly ignored the decisions of the military leadership and in some cases had a “complete influence” on the course of hostilities. The brightest”, – WRITE ON: ua.news
Financial Times writes that the decision to keep Bakhmut at any cost could not come from the military command, but from the President’s office-in particular, from his head Andriy Yermak.
According to two Ukrainian officials involved in military planning, Yermak repeatedly ignored the decisions of the military leadership and in some cases had a “complete influence” on the course of hostilities. The most striking example of this is its impact on the battle of Bakhmut.
FT reminds that at the end of 2022 the city was siege. Some of the Ukrainian commanders called for strategic retreat, but Yermak, according to Bakhmut, saw the opportunity to create a symbolic resistance history-the fortress city had to be the embodiment of unbrokenness. According to the newspaper, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also sought to win a great victory that would strengthen the moral spirit of the country.
After seven months of fierce battles, the city was destroyed. The US generals were amazed at the intensity of battles and the level of loss, but Russian attacks did not stop.
On December 20, 2022, Zelensky, together with Yermak, made a secret visit to the Bakhmut Front, and the next day made a US Congress, holding a shabby Ukrainian flag with the signatures of Bakhmut military.
According to FT, some Western officials were concerned about heavy losses. Ukrainian commanders, according to them, believed that resources were depleted without significant tactical effect. “It was a mistake to stay in Bakhmut for so long,” one of the high -ranking officials involved in military planning admitted. When asked by a journalist, from whom he was ordered to keep the city, he replied: “You can guess from whom.”
One of Bakhmut’s defense participants called all this “a political maneuver disguised as heroism.”
The publication draws a parallel between Bakhmut and the Alamo Fortress in Texas, which became a symbol of the struggle for independence, despite the tragic final.
Andriy Yermak is one of the most influential and closest to President of Ukraine Vladimir Zelensky Person. His activity as the Presidential Office is of considerable interest in both Ukraine and abroad.
