Home › Opinion › Why Bakhmut and Moldova mattered together
Why Bakhmut and Moldova mattered together
Summary
A look back at how front-line fighting and spillover pressure on Moldova converged in mid-February 2023.
What did the war look like on 16 February 2023, and why did events far from the front line matter as much as those on it? In the days before that date, the fighting around Bakhmut and the strain on Ukraine's neighbour Moldova pointed to a conflict whose effects were spreading.
The eastern front
On 14 February 2023, Ukrainian forces blew up a bridge between Bakhmut and Kostiantynivka as Russian troops and Wagner Group fighters advanced on Bakhmut. The step was part of the Battle of Bakhmut, and it showed the fight there centred on routes in and out of the city.
The south and the border
On 10 February 2023, a Russian Navy drone boat struck the Zatoka railway bridge on Highway H33 near Odesa. It was believed to be the first use of that naval weapon by Russian forces in the war.
The same day, Moldova said Russia had fired missiles over its territory at targets inside Ukraine. Moldova condemned the flyover as a violation of its sovereignty and summoned the Russian ambassador for an official explanation.
A government under strain
Also on 10 February 2023, Moldovan prime minister Natalia Gavrilița resigned. The resignation came amid an economic crisis and what were described as the collateral effects of the war in neighbouring Ukraine.
What the pattern showed
Taken together, these events show a war that was being fought on several levels. In the east, the contest was over a city and the bridges around it. In the south, a new type of weapon was used against infrastructure near Odesa. Across the border, Moldova faced airspace violations and political upheaval linked to the war's effects. By 16 February 2023, the pressures were no longer confined to Ukrainian territory.
