The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) has suggested that the Russian forces lack the mechanised forces necessary to advance beyond Bakhmut.
Source: ISW
Details: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated on 7 March that the hypothetical Russian capture of Bakhmut would provide Russian forces an "open road" to Kramatorsk, Sloviansk, and other critical settlements in Donetsk Oblast.