Day 354: February 12Today the biggest news is coming from Bakhmut. Here, the Russians carried out a successful attack that threatened one Ukrainian group to be completely cut off from the mainland. Fortunately, this was not unexpected, and the Ukrainians withdrew, leaving the Russians a couple of deadly surprises. When it comes to the northern part of Bakhmut, the situation became very dynamic. As you remember, over the course of the last several weeks, I have been telling you that the Ukrainians in Krasna Hora continued holding their positions despite being one step away from operational encirclement. I also told you that the moment the Russians achieve any success in the northern part of Paraskoviivka, the Ukrainians in Krasna Hora would immediately withdraw. And this is exactly what happened today. The reason why the Russians suddenly were able to penetrate defenses in the northern part of Paraskoviivka is simple. Last time I told you that the Russians had conducted a massive attack on Ukrainian positions on the hills, which despite high losses, was successful. This gave them access to the local heights and also the ravine west of Paraskoviivka. So, the Russians attacked them from the west, stretched Ukrainian troops, entered the northern part of the village, and forced the Ukrainians to withdraw from Krasna Hora. The Ukrainians were ready for such development for weeks, so they prepared a plan for how to make the best of the bad lot. Due to heavy fights, only a few buildings are suitable for establishing their positions, and the Ukrainians obviously knew which those buildings are. A serviceman shared footage where he showed how they tracked Russian platoons using a thermal camera and then how Ukrainian artillery delivered a direct hit according to the coordinates. When it comes to Bakhmut itself, the front line is shifting closer and closer to the river that goes right through the center of Bakhmut. Today’s combat footage showed that the main Ukrainian positions right now are in the high-rise buildings. These positions allow the Ukrainians to continue safely withdrawing. When it comes to the southern part of Bakhmut, recent footage showed that the bridge over the canal had been blown up. Some sources suggested that it was the Russians who blew up the bridge because they wanted to completely stop any movement on this highway, while other sources said that it was the Ukrainians who blew up the bridge to slow down Russian advances, prevent them from freely moving from one bank to another, and set conditions for a total withdrawal from Bakhmut. It looks like the second explanation is more plausible, especially because today, a Ukrainian commander from Bakhmut made an announcement that from tomorrow they will restrict access to Bakhmut for civilians and volunteers. This is good news because it means that the Ukrainians will precipitate their withdrawal. So far, it looks like the withdrawal is too slow, but it is part of the plan. If the Ukrainians leave the eastern side too early, before the conditions are set for a complete withdrawal, the Russians will get closer and get ready for crossing the river and chasing the Ukrainians down. However, if the Ukrainians leave the eastern side when everything is set for withdrawal, then the Russians will not be able to force the river and push, allowing the Ukrainians to use this time to withdraw.