The Bakhmut ‘Meat-Grinder’: War Hurts Ukraine More Than Russia

The war in Ukraine needs to end. In February, the fighting in Bakhmut had gotten so ugly that the life expectancy along the Ukrainian frontline was 4 hours. The fighting is just as bloody now and is going decidedly in Russia’s favor.

I wrote recently for The Rogue Review on how the U.S., by escalating and prolonging the Ukraine war, is helping Russia commit another Holodomor massacre (the Holodomor occurred when the Russian Soviets deliberately starved at least 3.9 million Ukrainians to death). In April, Human Events’ Jack Posobiec—talking about Ukrainian v. Russian deaths in the war—said, “You’re talking about a four-to-one death ratio. A four-to-one death ratio of Ukrainians to Russians, and so you’ve got nearly 100,000 killed.” The death toll might be even more staggering. Also in April, US government documents put the combined casualties for Russian and Ukrainian soldiers of dead and injured at 354,000. That’s horrific.

Last year, the Russian ruble grew stronger even as the U.S. dollar weakened (though the ruble is reportedly falling again), and Russian dictator Vladimir Putin’s popularity soared in his country. And don’t forget Russia currently has the support of the powerful Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Absolutely, Russia should never have invaded Ukraine, but it hasn’t seemed to devastate Russia in any way yet. On the other hand, Ukraine is becoming a bloody catastrophe.

Now the latest news is that the U.S. is helping Ukraine acquire F-16 fighter jets. Russia won’t threaten nuclear war or other retaliation forever. And how does it help Ukraine to prolong the war? Prolonging it, based on how the war is going now, only means more land for Russia and more dead Ukrainians (and Russians).

Gateway Pundit reported May 20:

“[M]any thousands of soldiers on both sides have lost their lives in what has been widely considered one of the toughest battles since the Second World War – the ‘meat grinder’, the ‘vortex…Ukrainian president Zelensky stated that a loss in Bakhmut would mean an open road for Russian force[s] to attack other important cities in Eastern Ukraine…With overwhelming firepower, the Russians went about their war of attrition…

‘Bakhmut has fallen!’, said the retreating, scared Ukrainian soldier that went viral in Russian Telegram channels…there is still a last pocket of resistance…About 0.6 square km of the territory of Bakhmut remained under the control of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.”

At this rate, if the war drags on for years (presuming Russia doesn’t use nukes as it has threatened to do), will any Ukrainians be left at the end? Who is being helped by this war? The Russian oligarchy (particularly Putin), the Chinese Communists, and the U.S. military industrial complex with their corrupt pals in the Ukrainian government. Meanwhile Ukrainians, both soldiers and civilians, continue to die.

If the war continues, the entirety of Ukraine could turn into a “meat-grinder” like Bakhmut. And that’s the last thing any decent person or government should support.