2023-05-12 13:08:00
From Bakhmut (AFP)
Russia and Ukraine
While Kiev announced a breakthrough in the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, the head of the Wagner Military Group accused, on Friday, the Russian forces of “fleeing” from their positions near the city located in the Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine, adding that the defenses were “collapsing” and that the Russian General Staff “underestimated” the seriousness of the situation. .
“There was simply a desertion of the Ministry of Defense units on the fronts” of Bakhmut, Yevgeny Prigozhin said in a videotape, considering that “the attempts of the Ministry of Defense in terms of information to reduce the seriousness of the situation are leading and will lead to a comprehensive tragedy for Russia.”
He also confirmed that the Ukrainian forces had regained control of a reservoir located north of the city, which is the center of battles in eastern Ukraine, and were stationed on tactical heights overlooking it.
He also said that the Ukrainian army is again controlling the road leading to Chasiv Yar to the west, which was blocked by Russian soldiers weeks ago.
Big losses
These statements came after the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense announced, earlier today, that its forces had made great progress in the vicinity of Bakhmut, where the battles with Russia have been concentrated for several months.
“The enemy suffered great losses in manpower,” Deputy Defense Minister Hana Maliar said in a statement on social media.
It also added that the Ukrainian forces advanced two kilometers near Bakhmut, stressing that the army did not lose any position in Bakhmut this week, according to what was reported by AFP.
And the head of “Wagner” had previously confirmed that the Ukrainian attacks in Bakhmut were “unfortunately successful,” after he criticized the Russian army.
Commander of the Wagner Forces, Yevgeny Prigozhin
Russia denies
On the other hand, Russia denied that Kiev had achieved any breakthroughs in Bakhmut. The Russian Ministry of Defense said in a statement on Thursday night, “The individual announcements on Telegram regarding the penetration of several points on the front line are not related to reality,” explaining that its forces have responded to several Ukrainian attacks.
Months ago, Russian forces, especially Wagner fighters, gradually and slowly took control of lands in Bakhmut, but Ukrainian resistance is still fierce in the west of the city.
While the battle of Bakhmut, the destroyed city, of which the Russians control more than 85%, has become the longest and bloodiest since the beginning of the Russian attack on Ukraine in February 2022.
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