“Our soldiers are advancing in some areas of the front, and the enemy is recording losses in numbers and equipment,” the commander of the Ukrainian Land Forces, Oleksandr Sersky, said on social media.
The novel Wagner’s Forces
The founder of Wagner’s forces, Yevgeny Prigogin, said on Saturday that less than two kilometers separate his forces from full control of Bakhmut, while it was reported that its forces had retreated in the northern regions of Bakhmut after a new Ukrainian attack.
He added: Wagner’s forces advanced 400 meters, and the area that was controlled reached 132,000 square meters, and that his forces were continuing to advance in the city of Bakhmut, noting that there was less than 2 square kilometers of the city left under the control of the Ukrainian forces.
The Russian defense hinted at a Ukrainian advance
Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said Friday that Ukraine had launched an offensive north of Bakhmut with more than 1,000 soldiers and up to 40 tanks, a level of equipment that, if confirmed, would be the biggest Ukrainian offensive since November.
Konashenkov added that the Russians repulsed 26 attacks, but the forces retreated in one area to regroup in more suitable locations near the Birkhivka reservoir, northwest of Bakhmut.
AndI confessed Moscow, on Friday, announced that its forces had retreated from their positions, which they controlled, north of the city of Bakhmut, after Ukrainian attack new.
The Russian setback, which came on the heels of similar reports, indicates progress Ukrainian forces south of the city, to a concerted campaign by Kiev to encircle the Russian forces in Bakhmut.
That means both sides are now talking big gains for Ukraine, though Kiev has revealed few details and played down reports that a large-scale, long-planned counteroffensive has officially begun.
Russian warning
Crimean Parliament Speaker Vladimir Konstantinov said on Saturday that the counterattack on the Azov Sea coast announced by Kiev would be one of the biggest Western adventures and would lead to a colossal tragedy for Ukraine.
“This will be one of the biggest adventures that the West has undertaken as part of resolving the Ukrainian conflict, which will undoubtedly lead to the death of a large number of Ukrainian soldiers, that is, to a colossal tragedy,” Konstantinov said in an interview with “Novosti” agency.
He added, “The aim of this massacre is simple. If they succeed, they will move forward, and there will be good news. If they do not succeed, they will be killed. This is also a good thing. There will be no one to ask for help.”
Has the counterattack begun?
Amidst this Ukrainian advance, there has been much analysis that it could be considered a sign of the start of the counterattack that Kiev has always been hinting at.
Note that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed Thursday that his army needs more time to prepare for a counterattack aimed at repelling Russian forces.
He added: “It is unacceptable to launch the attack now because many lives will be lost.”
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