Comments by "Nicholas Conder" (@nicholasconder4703) on "The Telegraph" channel.

@tomk3732 Hate to break the news, but Ukraine didn't station their best troops in Bakhmut. Indeed, many of their best troops went to Britain, Germany, Poland, etc., to train on the western equipment and be formed into around 12 new brigades that are currently sitting in reserve. Ukraine used Bakhmut as a training ground for some of their conscripts-leavened units, and as a place to draw in the Russians so they couldn't attack elsewhere along the front. Russia (Putin), for some reason, thinks that Bakhmut has some grand strategic purpose, and have been throwing THEIR best troops (Wagner and VDV) into the fight. Bakhmut has been a quagmire for Russia for 9 months now, tying up units that could have been used to better effect elsewhere along the front.
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@lostlogic6911 Pretty much. For Russia it is a matter of prestige. For Ukraine, it is a wonderful way to focus Russian attention in one spot while they build up the strength to deal crippling blows to the Russian invaders.
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@christymichelle5176 Actually, many of Russia's "brightest and best" fled the country last year (somewhere between 500,000 to 1 million), while others have been drafted straight out of university after graduation and sent to the front. Russia is suffering a much larger "brain drain" than Ukraine. Also, Ukraine has a program in place to give financial assistance to their soldiers who wish to attend institutes of higher learning after the war.
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@falloutking2819 However, it is also likely that Russia would have halted after taking Bakhmut to consolidate their gains and move the units currently engaged there to other parts of the front. So it was a good decision on the part of the Ukrainians.
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I also think it is telling that almost immediately after this meeting, China arranged a meeting with Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. A meeting that excludes Russia. THAT must hurt Putin. Talk about a snub!
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