UKRAINE: In the eastern city of Bakhmut, Ukrainian and Russian armed forces have been battling intensive fights on the marred eastern side of Bakhmut; however, Kyiv-supported forces are still keeping up the pace, as per what the military in Ukraine said on Saturday. Two more areas of Bakhmut were captured by the Wagner mercenary group in the early hours of the day, according to Russia’s defence ministry.
Wagner initiated Russia’s attempt to conquer Bakhmut the previous summer, and as a result, there was one of the most intense battles between the two regions.
Serhiy Cherevatyi, the spokesperson for Ukraine’s eastern military command, mentioned, “Bloody battles unprecedented in recent decades are taking place in the middle of the city’s urban area,” adding, “Our soldiers are doing everything in bloody and fierce battles to grind down (the enemy’s) combat capability and break its morale. Every day, in every corner of this city, they are successfully doing so.”
According to the Russian Defence military, units of Wagner were captured in two areas in the northern and southern parts of the city. It also said that the claims were supported by the Russian army paratroopers, who initiated the advance by restricting the Ukrainian forces on the flanks.
In an intelligence update on Friday, Britain said that Ukrainian forces had been compelled to give up some ground in Bakhmut as Russia had launched a fresh attack there the previous two days, accompanied by heavy artillery fire.
Despite infantry ground warfare at a level not seen in Europe since World War Two, Russia’s winter offensive has so far produced only modest advances. Bakhmut, which had a pre-war population of about 70,000 people, has been the major target.
In his regular press conference on Saturday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy did not mention Bakhmut but instead emphasised Kyiv’s desire to soon join NATO.
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