Ukraine's risky decision to stay and let Russia bash its forces against Bakhmut came with costs but was worth it

• The months-long battle for Bakhmut, in eastern Ukraine, was the longest and bloodiest of the war.
• Many in the West, including Ukraine's allies, urged it to give up on its defense of the city.
• But Kyiv's forces stayed, and although it was costly, it clearly paid off for them in the end.

Ukraine fought tooth and nail for months to defend the eastern city of Bakhmut from a never-ending onslaught of Russian soldiers and Wagner Group mercenaries. The fighting, which claimed thousands of lives on both sides, was so brutal in nature that it was characterized as a "slaughter-fest" or "the meat grinder."