You are listening to the Warmer Rocks Rocks podcast on Strategy, Defense, and Foreign Affairs. My name is Ryan Evans. Happy New Year.

This is the first podcast of 2023 that we were recording for War on the Rocks and you'll be shocked just shocked to hear

that I have Michael Kaufman on for another episode. Thanks Mike.

Thanks, Mike. Thanks for having me back and great to see you in 2023.

Let's start with the state of the battlefield.

What's happening? Let's start in the south.

Let's start with Kirsson, which Ukraine has seized not too long ago.

Ukraine's taken the Wright River Bank, which is the western part of Kirson, and then the actually battle in Bachmuth that forced Ukraine to redeploy forces from

Kerson into Bachmote, the Russian military redeployed from that fight to Bachmood as well and has reinforced much of the rest of the line with a combination of

mobilised personnel and airborne units. I think that they are beginning to use them as a sort of quick

reaction force or a mobile reserve behind the line. Would you say

bakmood is the sort of focal point of the fighting right now?

I would say that there at least two, you could argue even three, but the two ones that most folks focus on are

Bachmoot, which has been for quite some time this growing a traditional fight.

To be frank, but moot's been a fight probably since July, but is gain considerable significance

for both sides.

You have both Russian and Ukrainian reinforcements pouring in,

you have a lot of manpower and artillery concentrate around it.

You have the Ukrainian leadership giving it added local weight that as they're trying to hold the line there so even if Bakuu does not ask strategically significance, I mean it is relevant

but they're kind of giving it a little bit that Marioppo weight in terms of trying to hold on to it.

The second fight is on a swath of a criminal line, particularly around the community,

Ukrainian force who made incremental gains creeping up to

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