Having several months to prepare fortifications in Bakhmut, Ukrainian troops rigged a large building with explosives and eventually detonated them, completely collapsing the building onto a large group of Russian troops that occupied it.

The exact figure of Russian troops lost in the operation isn't known, but reports indicate that drone operators observed and waited until a large force was inside before giving the command to detonate.

The incident may have multiple effects on how Russian forces proceed with their assault on Bakhmut. The threat of booby trapped buildings may slow the advance so Russian troops can be more thorough in their clearing. It may also have a terrain denial effect in which Russian troops avoid occupying buildings altogether, forcing them to fight out in the streets. Yet, it's possibly, based on what we have seen in the previous months, Russian Wagner forces will just continue throwing waves of bodies at the Ukrainian defenders without any significant change in tactics, regardless of the cost.

About the Author

Will Killmore

Will Killmore is a US Army combat infantry veteran and Purple Heart recipient. He has deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan with the 172nd Stryker Brigade and 173rd Airborne Brigade. Following his time in service, he successfully pursued a certificate of journalism and has been a blogger for Funker530 since 2014. Follow Will’s bad takes on Twitter