Wagner's goal under Bakhmut is to exhaust Ukrainian forces, and to some extent, it worked

The goal of the Wagner Private Military Company (PMC) was not so much to capture Bakhmut as to exhaust the Ukrainian military. To some extent, this plan worked, as in eight months of fighting for the city, Ukraine lost some of the troops needed for the spring offensive. https://www.pravda.com.ua/eng/news/2023/03/6/7392107/