Battlefield Atlas
Russo-Ukrainian War · 2022 Free to explore

Bakhmut, 2022-2023

Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022, after seizing Crimea and backing armed groups in Donbas from 2014; on 2 March 2022 the UN General Assembly deplored 'the aggression by the Russian Federation against Ukraine' and demanded its withdrawal (Resolution ES-11/1, 141 votes to 5). The battle of Bakhmut [Artemovsk] was the longest of the invasion's first phase. From the summer of 2022 the Wagner Group, a Russian private military company that recruited tens of thousands of prisoners, led the assault on the Ukrainian-held city, supported by Russian artillery, aviation and, from January 2023, airborne and motor rifle units. Wagner took Soledar in January 2023 and the northern villages in February, Ukrainian forces fell back behind the Bakhmutka River in March, and Wagner fought through the AZOM plant, the center and the western districts until Prigozhin claimed the city on 20 May 2023, as Ukrainian counterattacks retook ground on both flanks. Losses were very heavy and remain disputed: the White House estimated more than 100,000 Russian casualties from December 2022 to April 2023, including over 20,000 killed; a Mediazona and BBC Russian count found at least 19,547 Wagner dead; UALosses had confirmed about 8,900 Ukrainian soldiers killed at Bakhmut from public obituaries (via Meduza), and Ukraine did not publish its losses. The UN documented summary executions of prisoners, most of them attributed to Russian forces and Wagner. The city was left in ruins. Positions on this map are schematic, at brigade or axis level, and are attributed to the sources listed; several points are approximate and are marked so.

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Bakhmut during the battle, March 2023
Bakhmut during the battle, March 2023 — State Border Guard Service of Ukraine · CC BY 4.0

The battle, stage by stage

  1. May - August 2022

    Wagner turns on Bakhmut

    Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022. After Ukrainian forces withdrew from Popasna, about 24 km east of Bakhmut [Artemovsk], in early May (Ukraine confirmed it on 8 May, per Reuters), Russian forces and the Wagner Group, a Russian private military company, began advancing on the city and shelling it. In late July Russian forces took the Vuhlehirska power station and Pokrovske, east of the city (ISW, 27 July). On 1 August Ukraine's General Staff reported failed Russian assaults on Vershyna and Soledar and air strikes near Kodema; on 9 August UK Defence Intelligence called the Bakhmut axis Russia's most successful in the previous month, with about 10 km of advances. The 93rd Mechanized Brigade was among the city's defenders (RFE/RL). On 9 July a Russian missile struck a residential block in Chasiv Yar, west of the city: the toll rose to 48 dead (RBC-Ukraine and BBC Russian Service; Reuters reported 43 on 12 July). (Sources: Reuters timeline via Al Jazeera; Ukrainian General Staff via NV, 1 Aug 2022; ISW; RFE/RL. Positions schematic; this stage is not corroborated to the two-map standard.)

  2. October - December 2022

    Assault on the city

    Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner's founder, said Wagner's assault on the city itself began on 8 October 2022 (Reuters). Wagner and Russian-led forces attacked the villages south and east of the city: the Donetsk 'people's republic' claimed Opytne and Ivanhrad on 13 October, which Ukraine did not confirm. Fighting reached the eastern outskirts during the autumn (by Wikipedia's account, Ukrainian counterattacks pushed Wagner out of factories on the eastern edge in October). Andriivka, south of the city, was reported taken on 30 November, and fighting for Klishchiivka began; north-east of the city, Wagner was reported to have taken Yakovlivka on 16 December and Bakhmutske on 27 December, closing on Soledar. President Zelensky visited the city's defenders on 20 December (Reuters). ISW judged on 28 December that the Russian advance on Bakhmut had culminated. The city had about 70,000 inhabitants before the war (the mayor, via Ukrinform). (Sources: Reuters timeline; ISW; RFE/RL 1 Nov 2022; village dates from Wikipedia articles, used as leads only. Positions schematic and not two-source corroborated.)

  3. January 2023

    Soledar falls

    Wagner opened a breakthrough attempt at Soledar, the salt-mining town about 18 km north-east of Bakhmut, at the end of December. On 10-11 January Prigozhin claimed Wagner alone had taken the whole town and posted a photo he said was taken in the salt mines; Ukraine's eastern command called the claims untrue, and a soldier of the 46th Airmobile Brigade told CNN the situation was 'critical' (Meduza). Russia's Defense Ministry said its troops had blockaded the town and named the Ukrainian 61st Mechanized and 17th Tank Brigades among the defenders (a Russian claim). On 12 January ISW assessed that 'all available evidence' showed Ukrainian forces no longer held an organized defense in the town, and that its capture would not by itself encircle Bakhmut. Ukraine confirmed on 25 January an 'organized retreat' to prepared positions (AP). South of the city, Prigozhin (19 January) and Russia's Defense Ministry (20 January) claimed Klishchiivka; ISW later wrote that Russia had held it since at least early January. (Sources: ISW 12 Jan 2023 via Novaya Gazeta Europe; Meduza 11 Jan; AP 25 Jan; Novaya Gazeta Europe 20 Jan; ISW 8 Mar. Corroborated: ISW plus both sides' statements.)

  4. February 2023

    The northern pincer

    Wagner turned west from Soledar. Geolocated footage showed Russian troops moving freely in Krasna Hora on 11 February, and Prigozhin claimed it the next day (Reuters could not verify); by Wikipedia's village articles, Paraskoviivka was taken about 18 February and Wagner claimed Berkhivka on 24 February and Yahidne on 26 February, bringing the attackers to the northern edge of the city. In the south, Ukraine's eastern-command spokesman Serhii Cherevatyi said Russian units were trying to break through to the T0504 highway, the Kostiantynivka road that supplied the garrison, with a record 54 clashes near Bakhmut in one day. Pro-Russian officials spoke of an 'operational encirclement'; neither government confirmed it. ISW reported that Russian airborne (VDV) elements had joined the offensive in January. (Sources: Militaryland daily summaries 12 and 27 Feb 2023, from geolocated footage; Reuters; Cherevatyi via Ukrainian News; ISW 8 Mar. Partly corroborated: geolocation plus claims.)

  5. March 2023

    The river line and the AZOM plant

    On 7 March ISW assessed that Ukrainian forces had completed a controlled withdrawal from eastern Bakhmut across the Bakhmutka River, and Prigozhin claimed all of the eastern city on 8 March. UK Defence Intelligence reported on 11 March that the river was now the front line in the center, that Ukrainian forces had destroyed key bridges, and that the open strip along the river, 200-800 meters wide, was a killing zone for an assault westward. Fighting moved into the AZOM non-ferrous metals plant in the northern industrial zone, which the Conflict Intelligence Team compared with Mariupol's Azovstal; Wagner claimed it on 26 March, while UK Defence Intelligence assessed it was still contested. The MiG-17 monument in the city's south-west was destroyed on 9 March (Ukrainska Pravda, via Wikipedia). On 24 March the UN human rights mission said it had documented the summary execution of 15 Ukrainian prisoners of war by Russian forces, 11 of them by Wagner, and of up to 25 Russian prisoners by Ukrainian forces. By late March Ukraine had pushed Wagner back from the O0506 road to Chasiv Yar (UK MoD). (Sources: ISW 8 Mar 2023; UK MoD 11 and 29 Mar; CIT via Kyiv Independent 15 Mar; CNN 26 Mar; UN HRMMU via AFP 24 Mar. Corroborated: ISW plus UK MoD.)

  6. April 2023

    The center and the railway

    On 2 April Prigozhin raised a flag at what he said was the city administration and said the city was taken 'from a legal point of view'; ISW confirmed footage of a Russian flag over the ruined building on 3-4 April, while Ukraine's eastern command said fighting continued near it. Prigozhin claimed more than 80% of the city on 11 April; Ukraine said it held 'considerably' more than 20% (Reuters). Ukrainian officials and ISW said Russian airborne troops were increasingly supporting Wagner. By 17 April Wagner had advanced in the north-west, where the People's House was blown up, and Russian troops pushed north along the railway in the south of the city. On 26 April UK Defence Intelligence reported fighting on the western outskirts around Khromove as Ukraine held on to the main access road. On 1 May the White House estimated more than 100,000 Russian casualties since December, over 20,000 of them killed, about half from Wagner. (Sources: ISW via Ukrainska Pravda 4 Apr 2023; Reuters timeline; Militaryland 17 Apr, from geolocations; The Defense Post 1 May. Corroborated: ISW plus geolocation.)

  7. 9 - 21 May 2023

    Flank counterattacks and Prigozhin's claim

    As Wagner ground through the last western districts, Ukraine struck the flanks. On 9 May Prigozhin accused the Russian 72nd Motor Rifle Brigade of abandoning its positions south-west of the city; the Ukrainian 3rd Separate Assault Brigade said it had routed the brigade and Andriy Biletsky said about 3 by 2.6 km had been cleared (Reuters could not confirm). Ukraine's eastern command claimed 17.3 sq km retaken in three days; ISW assessed 16.85 sq km (13 May). Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Malyar reported gains of about 500 m north and 1,000 m south of the city (ISW 18 May). On 20 May Prigozhin declared the city captured, including the last apartment block near the former MiG-17 monument; Russia's Defense Ministry and President Putin followed on 21 May. Ukraine said it still held the 'Airplane' (Litak) area. ISW assessed that Wagner had likely reached the city's western administrative border while Ukrainian forces kept the ground beside the two highways west; DeepState showed the Ukrainian-held part much reduced by 22 May. (Sources: ISW 13, 18, 20, 21 May 2023; Reuters 10 May; Kyiv Post; LB.ua 21 May; Euromaidan Press 22 May, citing DeepState. Corroborated: ISW, DeepState and geolocated footage.)

  8. Late May - September 2023

    Wagner leaves; Klishchiivka and Andriivka

    Prigozhin said Wagner would hand the city to the regular army from about 25 May (ISW 20 May). He put Wagner's dead at about 20,000; a 2024 Mediazona and BBC Russian investigation of Wagner's records counted at least 19,547 Wagner dead at Bakhmut, 17,175 of them recruited from prisons. Ukraine kept up pressure on the flanks during its summer counteroffensive. On 15 September the 3rd Separate Assault Brigade announced it had retaken Andriivka, south of the city (Russia denied losing it), and on 17 September Ukraine announced the recapture of Klishchiivka by the 5th Separate Assault, 80th Air Assault and 'Liut' brigades (UPI). Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi said three Russian brigades (the 72nd Motor Rifle and 31st and 83rd Air Assault) had been routed; ISW said airborne units had likely suffered heavy losses. The city itself stayed under Russian occupation. Bakhmut's mayor said on 29 May that 204 residents, including four children, had been killed since the invasion began, and about 500 remained. (Sources: ISW; Meduza 10 Jun 2024; Ukrainska Pravda 15 Sep 2023; UPI 18 Sep; Al Jazeera 19 Sep; Ukrainska Pravda / Ukrinform 31 May 2023.)

Casualties

Bakhmut was one of the costliest battles of the invasion: independent name counts confirm at least 19,547 Wagner dead and about 8,900 Ukrainian dead, both minimums, and US intelligence estimated more than 100,000 Russian killed and wounded over five months; Russian regular losses, wounded totals and full civilian deaths remain unknown, and the city was left in ruins with about 500 of its 70,000 residents remaining. Certainty: fair.

Russian forces (including the Wagner Group)

Killed (Wagner Group, counted by name)A Mediazona and BBC Russian investigation of Wagner records counted at least 19,547 Wagner dead with death dates from 15 July 2022 to 6 June 2023: 17,175 recruited convicts and 2,372 volunteer fighters (18,329 within Prigozhin's own dates for the battle, 8 October 2022 to 20 May 2023). Wounded were not counted. Meduza, 'Wagner lost almost 20,000 men in the battle for Bakhmut' (Mediazona / BBC Russian investigation, 10 June 2024); The Kyiv Independent, 'Nearly 20,000 Wagner mercenaries died taking Bakhmut, media investigation confirms' (June 2024)at least 19,547
Killed (Wagner Group, Prigozhin's claim)Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin said on 23-24 May 2023 that Wagner lost more than 20,000 men at Bakhmut, about half of them convicts; the Mediazona/BBC Russian count later broadly matched his total but not his claim that about 20 percent of recruits died (it found 35.5 percent of convict recruits did not return). Associated Press via PBS NewsHour, 'Head of Russian private army says more than 20,000 fighters died in Bakhmut battle' (24 May 2023); Meduza, 'Prigozhin claims 10,000 Russian convicts died in Wagner Group's Bakhmut operation' (24 May 2023); Meduza, 'Wagner lost almost 20,000 men in the battle for Bakhmut' (Mediazona / BBC Russian investigation, 10 June 2024)more than 20,000
Casualties (killed and wounded, all Russian forces, December 2022 to April 2023)White House spokesman John Kirby said on 1 May 2023, citing declassified US intelligence whose method he did not explain, that Russia had suffered more than 100,000 casualties since December, including more than 20,000 killed, nearly half of them Wagner fighters; he tied the figure largely to the fighting for Bakhmut. This is a US government estimate, not an independent count. Associated Press, 'US says 20,000 Russians killed in Ukraine war since December' (1 May 2023, via News4Jax); The Defense Post, 'White House: 100,000 Russian casualties since December' (1 May 2023); Spectrum News, 'U.S.: Russia has suffered 100K casualties in Bakhmut since December' (1 May 2023)more than 100,000
Ukrainian military claims (example)Ukraine's Eastern Group spokesman Col. Serhii Cherevatyi claimed these Russian losses on the Bakhmut front for a single day in March 2023; Ukraine issued such daily claims but no verifiable cumulative total for the battle, and they cannot be checked independently. Ukrainska Pravda, 'Russians lose 500 soldiers in Bakhmut over last day – Armed Forces of Ukraine' (11 March 2023)221 killed, 314 wounded in one day
Killed (Russian regular forces)No independent Bakhmut-specific count of Russian regular army, airborne or Donetsk 'people's republic' dead was found; the name counts above cover Wagner only. Meduza, 'Wagner lost almost 20,000 men in the battle for Bakhmut' (Mediazona / BBC Russian investigation, 10 June 2024)unknown

Ukrainian forces

Killed (confirmed by name)The UALosses project had confirmed about 8,900 Ukrainian soldiers killed at Bakhmut from public obituaries, as reported by Meduza; this is a minimum, as not every death is published. Meduza, 'Wagner lost almost 20,000 men in the battle for Bakhmut' (Mediazona / BBC Russian investigation, 10 June 2024)about 8,900
Official figuresUkraine did not publish its losses at Bakhmut (AP), and the White House declined to estimate Ukrainian killed and wounded when giving its Russian figures on 1 May 2023. Associated Press via PBS NewsHour, 'Head of Russian private army says more than 20,000 fighters died in Bakhmut battle' (24 May 2023); Associated Press, 'US says 20,000 Russians killed in Ukraine war since December' (1 May 2023, via News4Jax)unknown
Killed and wounded (Prigozhin's claim)Prigozhin claimed these Ukrainian losses in May 2023; no independent source supports them, and they are more than five times the UALosses name count. Meduza, 'Prigozhin claims 10,000 Russian convicts died in Wagner Group's Bakhmut operation' (24 May 2023); Meduza, 'Wagner lost almost 20,000 men in the battle for Bakhmut' (Mediazona / BBC Russian investigation, 10 June 2024)50,000 killed; 50,000–70,000 wounded

Civilians

Killed (Bakhmut residents)Mayor Oleksii Reva gave this figure to Ukrinform as of 29 May 2023, with 505 residents injured, including 17 children; it is a Ukrainian official figure, and the true toll is likely unknown because the city was inaccessible. No UN OHCHR total for the city alone was found. Ukrainska Pravda, 'Over 200 civilians killed in Bakhmut since Russian invasion began' (mayor Oleksii Reva via Ukrinform, 31 May 2023)204, including 4 children
Residents remainingAccording to Mayor Reva, about 70,000 people lived in the city (about 80,000 in the wider community) before the invasion; about 500 remained by late May 2023. Ukrainska Pravda, 'Over 200 civilians killed in Bakhmut since Russian invasion began' (mayor Oleksii Reva via Ukrinform, 31 May 2023); Babel, 'The mayor of Bakhmut: about 500 residents out of 70,000 remained in the city' (2023)about 500 of about 70,000
Killed, Russian missile strike on Chasiv Yar (9 July 2022)A Russian missile strike on a residential building in Chasiv Yar, just west of Bakhmut, killed 48 people, according to the death toll reported on 13 July 2022 at the end of rescue work. Ukrainska Pravda, 'Chasiv Yar: death toll from strike on residential building rises to 48' (13 July 2022); Ukrinform, 'Death toll in missile strike on Chasiv Yar rises to 48' (13 July 2022)48
Prisoners of warThe UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission documented summary executions of prisoners of war during the war, most of them attributed to Russian forces and Wagner; it gave no Bakhmut-specific total. UN News, alleged executions of prisoners of war (April 2023)not quantified

Then and now: how the ground has changed

The ridges, river valley and villages are the same ground, but Bakhmut itself, a city of about 70,000 before the invasion, was left largely in ruins by the 2022-2023 battle, according to satellite analyses and UK Defence Intelligence; its bridges, industrial plants and parks were destroyed, and the city has been under Russian occupation since May 2023, with the front moving west past Chasiv Yar.

Combat footage on Funker530

Real combat footage, played on Funker530; some clips show violence and casualties. Titles and descriptions are the atlas's own.

Weapons

Russian forces (incl. the Wagner Group)

T-72

T-72

Main battle tank · 1973–present (Iraqi Asad Babil and imported Soviet versions)

At Bakhmut: Russian T-72s supported Wagner and regular assaults on the flanks.

The best tank in the Iraqi army in 1991, issued mainly to Republican Guard divisions such as the Tawakalna and Medina. Its older night sights and ammunition left crews unable to see or hit American tanks firing from beyond 2,000 m, and its ammunition stored around the turret ring tended to blow the turret off when penetrated.

Gun
125 mm smoothbore with autoloader
Crew
3
Weight
about 41 t
Photo: Unknown author · public domain
AK-47 / Type 56

AK-47 / Type 56

Assault rifle · 1949–present

At Bakhmut: Kalashnikov rifles armed both sides.

Mikhail Kalashnikov's AK-47 became the world's most widespread military rifle thanks to its simplicity and reliability in mud, heat and rain. North Vietnamese and Viet Cong troops carried both Soviet AKs and the Chinese-made copy, the Type 56.

Caliber
7.62×39mm
Rate of fire
about 600 rounds/min
Magazine
30-round box
Effective range
about 350 m
Photo: U.S. Department of Defense · Public domain
BMP-1

BMP-1

Infantry fighting vehicle · 1966–present

At Bakhmut: Russian infantry fighting vehicles on the flanks.

The Soviet infantry fighting vehicle that carried Iraqi mechanized infantry. Its thin armor made it easy prey for Bradley 25 mm guns and TOW missiles.

Main gun
73 mm low-pressure gun + AT-3 Sagger missile
Crew
3 + 8 infantry
Weight
about 13 t
Photo: U.S. DoD photo · public domain

Ukrainian forces

M113 armored personnel carrier

M113 armored personnel carrier

Tracked APC · 1960–present

At Bakhmut: The 3rd Assault Brigade's counterattacks used M113s (Kyiv Post).

At Long Tan the M113s of 3 Troop, 1st APC Squadron carried A Company across the flooded Suoi Da Bang and struck the attackers' flank at dusk, ending the battle.

Crew
2, plus up to 11 troops
Armament
.50 caliber M2 machine gun
Armor
aluminum, proof against small arms
Photo: Australian War Memorial · CC0
AK-47 / Type 56

AK-47 / Type 56

Assault rifle · 1949–present

At Bakhmut: Standard Ukrainian rifles.

Mikhail Kalashnikov's AK-47 became the world's most widespread military rifle thanks to its simplicity and reliability in mud, heat and rain. North Vietnamese and Viet Cong troops carried both Soviet AKs and the Chinese-made copy, the Type 56.

Caliber
7.62×39mm
Rate of fire
about 600 rounds/min
Magazine
30-round box
Effective range
about 350 m
Photo: U.S. Department of Defense · Public domain
RPG-7

RPG-7

Shoulder-fired rocket-propelled grenade launcher · 1961–present

At Bakhmut: Used in the street fighting in the city.

The most widespread anti-armor weapon in the world: cheap, simple and effective against light vehicles and buildings. Iraqi soldiers, Fedayeen and later insurgents and militias fired it in volleys from rooftops and alleys in every battle here.

Caliber
40 mm tube, 85 mm warhead (PG-7V)
Effective range
about 200–300 m
Crew
1–2
Photo: U.S. military photo · public domain

Paintings and photographs

Bakhmut during the battle, March 2023
Bakhmut during the battle, March 2023 The private-housing sector of Bakhmut during the battle, March 2023, filmed by Ukraine's State Border Guard Service. State Border Guard Service of Ukraine · CC BY 4.0 · source
Southwestern Bakhmut, 5 April 2023
Southwestern Bakhmut, 5 April 2023 Southwestern Bakhmut on 5 April 2023, as the fighting reached the city center. State Border Guard Service of Ukraine · CC BY 4.0 · source
Western Bakhmut, 20 May 2023
Western Bakhmut, 20 May 2023 Western Bakhmut (Yuvileina Street at center) on 20 May 2023, the day the Wagner Group claimed the city. National Police of Ukraine · CC BY 4.0 · source
Annunciation church, May 2023
Annunciation church, May 2023 The Annunciation church in western Bakhmut, destroyed by early May 2023. National Police of Ukraine · CC BY 4.0 · source
Ukraina shopping mall
Ukraina shopping mall The Ukraina shopping mall in Bakhmut after Russian shelling, photographed in February 2023. Serhii Lemekha / ArmyInform · CC BY 4.0 · source
No man's land, November 2022
No man's land, November 2022 No man's land on the Bakhmut front, 26 November 2022 (exact spot not given). Viktor Borinets · CC BY 4.0 · source
The defenders' flag in Congress
The defenders' flag in Congress President Zelensky presents a Ukrainian flag signed by Bakhmut's defenders to the U.S. Congress, 21 December 2022, the day after his visit to the city. Office of the U.S. House Speaker · public domain · source

Free for everyone every year on its anniversary: May 20–21.

Accuracy score: 65/100 (moderate)

How the accuracy score works

Sources and method

Battle of Bakhmut, 2022-2023. Every position and claim on this map is attributed. Control and front-line changes were checked against the Institute for the Study of War's daily assessments, DeepStateMap.live (as reported by the outlets below), UK Defence Intelligence updates and geolocation-based summaries (Militaryland, which credits GeoConfirmed and named geolocators). UA Control Map (@UAControlMap) is credited as a reference but could not be consulted directly for this build; no control polygons were copied from any map. Sources:Claims by Prigozhin, Russia's Defense Ministry, the Donetsk 'people's republic', Ukraine's General Staff, eastern command and brigades are given as claims. Approximate points (AZOM, the city administration, the Litak district, the river line, the railway) are placed from published descriptions and marked 'approx.'. No unit carries a flag of Russia: Wagner is a non-state group (site rule), and for the regular Russian brigades we found identification only from the two sides' statements, not independent verification.

Where the positions come from

Further reading