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BATTLE // August 9, 2022

Battle of Bakhmut

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Overview

The Battle of Bakhmut was a major battle between the Russian Armed Forces and the Ukrainian Armed Forces for control of the city of Bakhmut, during the eastern front, a theatre of the Russo-Ukrainian war. It is regarded by some military analysts to be the bloodiest battle since World War II.

Overview adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Significance

The Battle of Bakhmut was one of the largest engagements on the eastern front of the Russo-Ukrainian War, drawing in approximately 85,000 Russian troops against a Ukrainian force of around 30,000. The scale of casualties on both sides — Russian losses estimated between 10,000 and 65,670, Ukrainian losses between 5,000 and 23,000 — led some military analysts to characterize it as the bloodiest battle since the Second World War. The contest centered on control of the city of Bakhmut and was a defining engagement of the war's eastern theatre. The presence of Yevgeny Prigozhin on the Russian side and Oleksandr Syrskyi commanding Ukrainian forces reflected the high operational priority both belligerents assigned to the city. The sustained attritional intensity made Bakhmut a focal point of the broader eastern front campaign.

Forces & casualties

Troop strength

  • Russia85,000
    medium
  • Ukraine30,000
    medium

Russia fielded a 2.8 : 1 numerical advantage

Casualties

  • Russie10,000–65,670
    medium
  • Ukraine5,000–23,000
    medium47% loss rate

Commanders (2)

Russia

Ukraine

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Last verified May 2026
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