Ukraine touts success in Bakhmut amid Russian onslaught

Ukrainian military leaders on Sunday announced a victory in Bakhmut after months of bloody fighting against Russia for control of the city in Dontesk Oblast.

Serhii Cherevaty, spokesman for Ukraine’s Eastern Military Command, said on Sunday that Ukrainian forces had managed to “stabilize the situation” around the city, which has been the scene of some of the most intense fighting in the Russo-Ukrainian war, according to The War has made Kiev independent.

The Russian military has sought victory in Bakhmut to counter a narrative that their invasion of Ukraine is stalling. Russian President Vladimir Putin launched the “special military invasion” last February, but his military is struggling to make any significant progress after more than a year of fighting amid reports of low morale and other challenges the troops are facing.

Russian forces have been fighting alongside the Wagner Group, a paramilitary entity, in Bakhmut for months in hopes of victory, but recent reports suggest Russian criminal activity has eased in recent weeks, the latest blow to Putin, who is trying to turn the tide of the war in his favor.

Both armies continue to fight for control of the city, control of which is considered symbolic rather than strategic. However, the intensity of the fighting has subsided, Cherevatyi said, according to The Kyiv Independent.

“Yesterday there were 18 attacks across the Bakhmut front, today there were 17. Before that there were 35 to 50 or more. However, this requires more detailed review and analysis,” Cherevatyi said.

He added that Russia has recently lost more military equipment – including a tank, an amphibious assault vehicle, an infantry fighting vehicle, a self-propelled gun, two drones, a company command and observation post and 10 field ammunition caches – while trying to take over the city.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian General Valery Zaluzhny said on Friday that the situation on the front line in Bakhmut was “the most difficult” but offered some optimism for Ukrainian troops.

“Due to the enormous efforts of the defense forces, we are able to stabilize the situation,” he said loudly The Moscow time.

Russia’s Bakhmut offensive has stalled, analysts say

Statements by Ukrainian military authorities echo recent signs that Russia’s military actions in Bakhmut have slowed.

The UK Ministry of Defense said in an intelligence update on Saturday that the Russian offensives at Bakhmut had “largely stalled” as the Russian force was “extremely worn down”, noting that Russia and Ukraine were suffering high troop losses had.

The update indicated that Russia appears to be shifting its focus to nearby Avdiivka, a town south of Bakhmut.

“This indicates a general return to a more defensive operational design after the results of his attempts to conduct a general offensive since January have been inconclusive,” the update said.

However, Russia’s progress in Avdiivka also appears to be slowing, according to former Russian commander Igor Girkin, who wrote in a Telegram post on Sunday that there had been “no progress in the last two days” due to “insufficient forces”.

news week emailed the Russian Defense Ministry for comment.