Not 4 Years of Life Expectancy but '4 Hours'... Ukraine's Hellish Battlefield

Fierce Battle Ongoing in 'Bakhmut'
Russian Forces Besiege for 6 Months... Continuous Day and Night Shelling

Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the fiercest battles have been taking place in the Bakhmut region, where it has been reported that the average life expectancy of Ukrainian soldiers is only four hours.

On the 23rd (local time), the New York Post reported on an interview with former U.S. Marine Troy Oppenbecker conducted by ABC regarding the situation in Bakhmut, Donetsk Province, the fiercest battleground of the Ukraine war. Oppenbecker is fighting in the Donbas region of Ukraine as part of the International Legion, a foreign volunteer unit.

Oppenbecker said, "Bakhmut is soaked in blood. The battle here is called 'the meat grinder,'" adding, "The average life expectancy of frontline soldiers is only about four hours."

He added, "The Russian forces have been shelling day and night for the past few weeks," and "Considering the amount of weapons deployed and shells fired so far, they must be starting to run out."

Ukrainian forces are shelling Russian troops near Bakhmut.
[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

The Russian army has been besieging the strategic stronghold of Bakhmut and launching fierce attacks for six months. However, contrary to Russia's optimistic view that "although facing difficulties, its fall is only a matter of time," the Ukrainian forces' strong resistance has prevented any significant progress. Oppenbecker said, "Because the winter is not as cold as usual and the ground is not firm enough, the Russian forces will not be able to deploy enough weapons."

Oppenbecker also reported that many civilians still remain in Bakhmut. He explained, "They are so poor that they have nowhere to go. So they are living right in the middle of a battlefield where shells fly overhead."

Meanwhile, foreign media including The Guardian reported that the Ukrainian General Staff repelled 90 Russian attacks in the east and northeast over the past 24 hours.

Additionally, the Ukrainian side stated that Russia launched 5,000 missiles at Ukraine and carried out about 3,500 airstrikes. Near the Russian border close to Ukraine, in the Belgorod region, a Russian fighter jet crashed, killing the pilot. Fortunately, it is known that the fighter jet fell in an uninhabited area.

Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that the new intercontinental ballistic missile Sarmat, nicknamed "Satan 2," hypersonic missiles, and new nuclear submarines will be deployed to the front lines.