Ukraine said the `king of the battlefield` weapons caused heavy damage to Russia in Bakhmut

(Dan Tri) – Ukraine claims that Western firepower complexes granted to the country are causing great damage to Russia on the Bakhmut front.

Ukrainian soldiers fire multiple rocket launchers at Russian troops near the front line in Bakhmut (Photo: Reuters).

Reuters quoted Ukrainian commanders as saying that Kiev’s use of Western-supplied heavy artillery in conflicts near Bakhmut is causing significant damage to enemy lines.

According to Ukraine, the 155 mm artillery provided by the US and NATO allies is one of the key weapons helping them make advances in the Bakhmut area, which Russia has controlled since May.

A unit commander named Oleksandr said the Ukrainian armed forces `depend heavily` on heavy artillery, including the Polish-made Krab artillery and the American-made M109 self-propelled artillery.

`Even one cannon can completely turn the situation around,` he said. `One cannon can block an attack. The most important thing is to aim where it is needed. Russians don’t like weapons.`

Mr. Oleksandr, 30 years old, described Klishchiivka – a village on high terrain south of Bakhmut – as one of the places that Russia is fighting to regain.

`We’ll see what happens next. We’ll continue to be successful in our efforts to gain momentum,` he said.

Ukrainian commanders have described the capture of Klischiivka and nearby Andriivka as a strategic stepping stone to reclaiming Bakhmut.

This is considered one of the most important achievements in Ukraine’s counteroffensive that began in June after a long period of Kiev struggling to penetrate Russia’s fortified defenses.

According to Newsweek, as the Russia-Ukraine war has been going on for nearly 19 months, developments on the front lines have reinforced an opinion of previous military experts that artillery is the `king of the battlefield`.

Artillery and firepower systems have great destructive power and are considered the weapons that cause most of the casualties on both sides on the front lines.

`Artillery is very important in this war,` Davis Ellison, a strategic analyst with the Center for Security Studies (HCSS) in the Netherlands, told Newsweek.

`Artillery has been and will remain important to ground combat operations,` said Paul van Hooft, another HCSS strategic analyst.

According to experts, the ground war between Russia and Ukraine has now turned into a war of attrition and whichever side can ensure more abundant artillery potential can gain a great advantage on the front lines.

On the ground, artillery is the core force for offensive and defensive efforts.

For example, artillery will often be used to surround opposing forces with heavy fire from all sides to force them to retreat.

Combined with reconnaissance equipment such as counter-battery radar, UAVs, and artillery, it has the power to strongly attack opponents when understanding the exact location of targets.