According to interviews from more than a dozen soldiers struggling in Bakhmut, Russia has been relentless with its assaults on unprepared, poorly-trained Ukrainian battalions, who lack the support of armored vehicles and artillery. Russian artillery, infantry fighting vehicles and armored personnel carriers have been allowed to strike Ukrainian positions for hours or days without being shut down by Ukrainian heavy weapons due to poor coordination and situational awareness.

Mortarmen have reported extreme ammunition scarcity and have had to resort to using weapons from World War II. Drones are so rare and unreliable that they are losing them in the battlefield at great costs. These inconveniences have resulted in a high casualty rate. One veteran who has been stationed in Bakhmut stated that it is more of a 30/70 chance of coming out alive due to the overwhelming force they are facing.

At the same time, Ukraine's Cabinet ministers have approved the