Attempts were made by Ukrainian units to break through the defensive lines at Bakhmut. This was reported by Russian news agencies. “All attacks by units of the Ukrainian armed forces have been repulsed,” Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said today in Moscow.
Ukrainian troops report gains in territory
There has been movement on the battlefront around the town of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine, which has been the focus of fighting for months. According to unanimous Russian and Ukrainian information, Ukrainian troops gained ground in the region.
Troops are advancing in two directions on the outskirts of Bakhmut, Ukraine’s Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Malyar said. However, the situation in the city center is “complicated”.
Russia admitted on Friday that its own troops had withdrawn from an area near Bakhmut and regrouped. The head of the Russian Wagner mercenary group Yevgeny Prigozchin spoke about the defeat of regular troops. Ukraine occupied an elevation in front of the city and controlled the main road to Bakhmut, previously controlled by Wagner’s mercenaries.
No details on possible offense
The British Defense Ministry said Russian troops had withdrawn in disarray from positions near Bakhmut over the past four days. A spokesman for the Eastern Group of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said its troops “liberated an area of 17.3 square kilometers in three days of counter-offensive”.