Just a couple of months ago the orcs had salients north and south of Bakhmut that looked like a threat to encircle the city and trap Ukrainian forces in a pocket. Whether for lack of trying or inability to do the encirclement, it didn't happen. Instead, the orcs took bits and pieces of the city, block by block and even building by building. And now it looks like the orcish salients could become pockets. Whether this is the or a main Ukrainian effort remains to be seen.
For the orcs, Bakhmut didn't have great strategic value. OTOH, for the Ukrainians, it could be a gateway to Lysychansk/Severodonetsk or Luhansk. IOW, an actual breakthrough could lead to liberating much of Luhansk Oblast. Welcome to the land of IF.