**Ukraine’s Southern Counteroffensive Put on Hold**
The Ukrainian military’s push to retake the city of Melitopol in southern Ukraine was put on hold in 2023. Instead, forces were shifted to focus on taking back Bakhmut, a strategic city in eastern Ukraine.
Melitopol is located in Zaporizhzhia Oblast and has been under Russian occupation since 2022. Ukrainian forces had hoped to capture the city to disrupt Russian supply lines and sever their grip on Crimea. However, General Oleksandr Syrskyi, who was head of the Ground Forces at the time, advocated for a shift in strategy to prioritize retaking Bakhmut.
**General’s Request Was Approved**
President Volodymyr Zelensky ultimately sided with General Syrskyi’s plan. The U.S. had also been backing a push on Melitopol, but their efforts were put on hold.
Ukrainian forces did make some progress around Melitopol, pushing about 10 kilometers south before being stopped by Russian fortifications. However, the offensive was not successful in taking back the city.
**Bakhmut Was Retaken by Russia**
Meanwhile, Bakhmut fell to Russian forces in late spring 2023. The battle for Bakhmut became one of the bloodiest of the war. Ukrainian forces did retake some territory around the destroyed city that summer, but their efforts ultimately ran out of steam.
**Other Offensives Were Also Unsuccessful**
The other two axes of Ukraine’s summer counteroffensive also failed to achieve an operational breakthrough. Since then, Ukraine has been in a strategic defensive posture, with slim prospects for future counteroffensives.
A Ukrainian official was quoted as saying that seeing the decision made to attack Bakhmut was like watching the demise of the Melitopol offensive even before it was launched. A senior American official also expressed disappointment, saying that the U.S. should have walked away from advising Ukraine after the change in plan.
Read More @ kyivindependent.com