Ukrainian infantrymen with the 28th Brigade take cover in a partially dug trench along the frontline on 5 March, 2023 outside of Bakhmut, Ukraine. Russian forces have been attacking Ukrainian troops as part of an offensive to encircle Bakhmut in Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region. Credit: John Moore/Getty Images

Russia’s ongoing offensive around Bakhmut has cost Moscow between 20,000–30,000 casualties, with the private security contractor Wagner Group sustaining the majority of the losses in human-wave assaults against entrenched Ukrainian positions. 

For its part, Ukraine has opted to defend the city rather than pulling out, with President Volodymyr Zelensky publicly stating recently that Ukrainian forces would bolster troops numbers in the region. Russian efforts …