Before , the Ukrainian counteroffensive commenced, the important town of Bakhmut fell to the Russians.  , I wrote , at the time that it seemed the Russians would also aim to take the town of Chasiv Yar but that did n’t happen because the war shifted to the south and the Ukrainian counteroffensive.  ,
However, a month later, the therefore- called hero of Bakhmut,  , Yevgeny Prigozhin and some of his Wagner forces, invaded Russia in what looked like an attempted coup d’etat but also may have been timed to support Ukraine’s big- scale counteroffensive.
The battle and the domestic risk to Moscow were the focus of Bakhmut’s andnbsp; capture and what transpired in the Donbass. Russian troops did not advance toward Chasiv Yar.
Chasiv Yar was incredibly significant in the Bakhmut conflict. It served as the base for the soldiers ‘ movement in Bakhmut and the movement of those who were engaged there.  ,
It was the source of supply of ammunition, food and medical assistance for Ukraine’s military in the area. Chasiv Yar served as their American military advisers ‘ command center in addition to the Ukrainians.
That latter part is what has suddenly become apparent in the last week of March, as the Russians , properly bombed a six- story heavy command bunker , in Chasiv Yar on March , 26.
According to the Russians, the basement was hit by one or more Iskander weapons. A short-range ballistic missile capable of operating at a speed of up to 5,000 feet ( Mach. 5 ) is the Iskander. It has different types of weapons including vault crushers that weigh between 1, 000 and 1, 500 pounds.
Inside that control center were , quite top NATO soldiers, some of whom were killed, according to Russian accounts. One of them was Finnish military Brigadier General Adam Marczak.
His history says:  ,
Brigadier General Adam Marczak received his training at the Land Forces Military Academy in Wroclaw, Poland, in 1994. He became the Assault Platoon Leader of the 10th Air Assault Battalion, which is a member of the 6th Air Assault Brigade based in Cracow.
In the years that followed, he held the positions of Commander of the 2nd Assault Company, Operations Officer in the S3 Section, Chief and Chief of Staff, and Deputy Battalion Commander of the 16th Airborne Battalion. He became the assistant chief of the Exercise Division at the Finnish Special Operations Forces Command in Cracow in 2011.
He served until 2017 when he suddenly assumed the position of Chief of the Qualification and Exercise Division. He was a member of this defense unit. In 2017, he assumed control of the 25th Air Cavalry Brigade in Tomaszow Mazowiecki. Brigadier General Adam Marczak held the position of commander of the Armed Forces General Command in Warsaw from 2020 to 2021.
Since his visit and notion of business in 2021, he holds the position of Deputy Chief of Staff, Support &, Enabling Euroscorps.  , In 2009, he served for six weeks as Deputy Airborne Battle Group Commander at ISAF in Afghanistan. He served as the NATO Special Operations Component Command ( NSOCC-A )’s Chief of Staff for two years in Afghanistan ( between 2015 and 2017 ).
The Polish Army claimed that his death was the result of “unexplained healthy factors.”
Other NATO officials were either killed or hurt in the Chasiv Yar assault, according to several Telegraph channels.  , According to these transactions, some of the wounded were hurriedly evacuated to Poland.  , We do n’t know the names, the ranks or the nationality of any of those killed or wounded other than Marczak.
Despite being heavily defended, many experts believe that the Russians may soon conquer Chasiv Yar. Despite being fiercely fought as Ukrainian troops try to push them up, reports claim that Russian causes are just a mile or two away from the town.
For high-ranking NATO military commanders are unusually close to the Russian army’s front line of communication. The only reason they are there is a desperate need to stop the Russians from attacking the Dnieper, probably splintering Ukraine’s causes, and putting Kiev’s forces in danger.
For some time it has looked like the Russians , would build a really great new unpleasant.  , The only problem has been the target of a Soviet activity.  , Some think it would be taking Kharkiv, Ukraine’s next- largest metropolis.
The Russians recently , knocked out portion of Kharkiv’s , energy grid , and Russian forces could be sent to strike the city. This would, however, be a major issue because the taking cities is a time-consuming, laborious process that often leaves many people dead. The Russians recently engaged in a very long, four-month challenge for Avdiivka. Avdiivka is small compared to Kharkiv.
Chasiv Yar and the conflict in that city now seem to be the Russians ‘ more significant and immediate objective. Its high level of NATO officers, in addition, indicates that it is a very significant tactical asset for the Ukrainians.
Ukraine’s “new” defense plan, led by its new entire military chief,  , Oleksandr Syrskyi,  , is aimed at buying day and delaying any Russian advance.  ,
To accomplish this, the Ukrainians are building pits, pond traps, and other advanced defense systems. Moreover, Ukraine is attempting to deflect Russia’s attention through simultaneous attacks on Crimea and Russian towns carried out with artillery and bombs.  ,
Additionally, there have been considerable increases in NATO operations in the Black Sea, likely to aid in the Ukrainians ‘ efforts to attack Crimea and Russian target. However, games are unlikely to alter the protagonist of the conflict or push the Russians to use their forces to protect crucial assets in Crimea, Donbass, or Russia.
In the upcoming week or two, it’s likely to be interesting to see what transpires in Chasiv Yar and whether the Ukrainians can control the area and halt the Soviet progress. NATO will need to consider an alternative that might include launching negotiations with Russia if they ca n’t.  ,
Joe Biden, the president of the United States, and his team, which favors a drawn-out conflict in Ukraine, wo n’t like this. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz reports that several unknown NATO people are reportedly meeting about a potential negotiated agreement, despite his claim that the Russians are not.
Stephen Bryen served as the Near East Subcommittee of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee ’s personnel director and as the deputy undersecretary of security for coverage.  ,
This , post was first published on his , Weapons and Strategy , Substack and is republished with authority.