Bakhmut After 10 months of fighting the Russians, spearheaded by Wagner Group’s forces have at last captured the defiant city of Bakhmut. On May 20th 2023, Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin declared the capture of the city via a video published on the Wagner affiliated press service Concord’s Telegram channel.i President Vladimir Putin additionally congratulated Russian armed forces and acknowledged that Wagner played a leading role in taking the city. Ukrainian sources, including President Zelensky’s denied the capture of Bakhmut in the response to Russian declarations. However, according to the latest news, including a report by the Kyiv Independent it seems that Ukrainian forces have been pushed out the settlement […]

Bakhmut has fallen. On May 20, 2023, on the one year anniversary of the fall of Mariupol, Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin declared that Bakhmut had officially been captured in its entirety, which plays very neatly into Russian obsession with symbolism, which is used for propaganda purposes – two “mighty” Ukrainian cities taken on the same date.i Prigozhin’s words were reverberated by President Vladimir Putin, who acknowledged that it was Wagner that had taken Bakhmut, with support from federal forces, and praised them for their efforts. However, now as the siege has ended it is crucial to examine what has happened, what it might mean for the future of the […]

Pulaski Policy Paper no 25, May 22, 2023 Despite mounting pressure, South Korea remains unwilling to provide military assistance to Ukraine. This stance is rooted not only in Seoul’s longstanding policy of refraining from supplying arms to nations engaged in active conflict, but also in the highly sensitive security situation in the region. Position of the Republic of Korea on the conflict in Ukraine is clear-cut. Seoul has been actively supporting measures to impose sanctions on Russia and has joined efforts to limit export of strategic goods not only to Russia, but also to Belarus. South Korea has also curtailed its imports of fossil fuels from Russia, as well as […]

Pulaski Policy Paper no 24, May 22, 2023 Introduction During the early stages of the war, some were worried that Russia’s aggression against Ukraine could lead to a similar attack on Taiwan by China. This argument was not unfounded, as a quick Russian victory could embolden China to launch an attack on Taiwan, while a prolonged conflict in Europe could prevent the United States from deploying more forces to the Indo-Pacific. Although the situation ultimately played out differently, with Russian forces being pushed back and no significant threat to NATO’s territory, most likely decision-makers in both the PRC and Taiwan closely monitored the conflict in Ukraine, including its political and […]

Bakhmut The battle for Bakhmut continues. Ukrainian forces have launched a series of counter offensives in the Bakhmut area. The operations focused on the city’s flanks to the northwest around Khromove and Bohdanivka, and to the southwest around Ivanivske and the T0504 road.iAccording to Colonel-General Oleksandr Syrsky, the commander of Ukraine’s ground forces, Russian forces have been pushed back up to 2 kilometres back.iiThese gains allowed Ukrainians to re-establish control over the key supply and evacuation routes to Bakhmut. These successes showcase the offensive capabilities of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, being able to effectively fight against a theoretically superior enemy in their prioritised area of operations. However, Ukrainian successes might […]

The recent visit of the new Czech President Petr Pavel to Poland in the middle of March has clearly shown that there is a new common understanding and possibly also future appetite to do more together in relations between Czechia and Poland. After years of Miloš Zeman ambivalent position on Russia and China, the new Czech head of state brings new Euro-Atlantic confidence and fresh wind in perceiving challenges coming from both authoritarian powers and looking for new solutions to shared problems, which might be very much to Poland’s liking. As general and former head of the Military Committee within NATO, Petr Pavel logically put the emphasis on security and […]

Pulaski Policy Paper no 23, May 19, 2023 Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) needs to become an attentive listener if its countries want to advocate for its interests more effectively. With the war in Ukraine ongoing and the challenge of the country’s reconstruction looming on the horizon, the regional decision-makers have to show more understanding of the challenges faced by their partners in other parts of the continent. They also need to embark on the path to resolve bilateral disputes with the EU institutions and major EU Member States to increase the region’s credibility at international level in the times of changing global security landscape. Introduction As the preparations for […]

Pulaski Policy Paper no 22, May 18, 2023 Introduction As China gained more influence in terms of its economic power, the political ambitions of Beijing have dramatically grown. These tendencies are reminiscent of the continuing centralization of authority that commenced subsequent to the 19th Party Congress in 2017. Over the last ten years, China has actively promoted its own vision of the international order but also, by introducing particular issues to the international resolution, promoted its own industrial cycles. On March 18, 2022, Chairman Xi Jinping introduced the fourth China worldwide initiative: Global Civilization Initiative. The initiative, as the fourth after the Global Data Security Initiative, Global Security Initiative, and […]

Pulaski Policy Paper no 21, May 17, 2023 Introduction In March 2023 the US  Department of Defense (DoD) presented its budget for the Fiscal Year 2024 (September 2023 – September 2024). As the DoD representatives and the overview of the budget emphasised it is “the most strategy-driven request we’ve ever produced from the Department of Defense.” One may probably consider this observation as exaggeration, nevertheless the document’s authors put effort into making sure that the structure of the FY 2024 budget reflects priorities listed in recent National Security Strategy (NSS) and National Defense Strategy (NDS). As NDS indicates “the People’s Republic of China (PRC) is the only competitor with both […]

Bakhmut The battle for Bakhmut continues. In the previous weeks Russian forces have achieved significant gains in and around the city. With the rate of Russian advances and surfacing geolocated footage from within Bakhmut, it is possible to estimate that Russian forces control roughly 90 percent of the city. Ukrainian forces are now mounting a stalwart defence in the western edges of Bakhmut concentrating around Yuvileina street. Amidst the heavy fighting Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin published a video, criticising Russian military leadership, including Defence Minister Shoigu, claiming that they are failing to properly supply their troops, including Wagner fighters.i In the footage Prigozhin showed rows of dead Wagner soldiers, […]

Bakhmut Despite recent Russian advances Ukrainian forces continue to defend Bakhmut. This week saw the collapse of the Ukrainian defences along the railway line in the western part of the city. Russian assaults from the north have successfully threatened Ukrainian positions which led to a loss of a large part of western Bakhmut. Ukraine now holds less than 10% of the city, concentrating their defences around Yuvileina street, located in the western outskirts, which leads to the Khromove “Road of Life”. While the “Road of Life” is no longer passable due to the proximity of Russian forces, it still serves as an important defensive position, with a large network of […]

Bakhmut The battle for Bakhmut continues. According to the most recent information Russian forces have broken through the Ukrainian defensive lines along the railway. The Russians have also advanced from the north of the city, thus endangering a number of Ukrainian positions with encirclement. These gains means that the Russian forces cannot be taken as separate approach vectors, one from the north and one from the east, but rather as a single cumulative front. The situation is extremely difficult with additional VDV forces being committed to the fight to overwhelm the struggling Ukrainian line. Simultaneously heavy fighting is taking place to the northwest of the city, along the road through […]