The eastern part of the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut is in Russian hands. The front line is now at the river Bachmutka. But the Russians cannot just cross that river, the British Ministry of Defense thinks.
The river separates the city into an eastern and western part. But the Ukrainians have blown up all the major bridges across the river. If the Russians still want to risk the crossing, they have to cross the fairly large open banks. There they are an easy target for the Ukrainian army.
Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin, who is part of the siege of Bakhmut with his mercenary army, posted a video saying his troops have almost reached the center of the city. Standing on top of a tall building, he points to another building that is supposed to be Bakhmut’s town hall, which he says is 4,000 feet away. That could be correct, since the river is fairly close to the center.
Prigozhin further complains about the lack of ammunition he receives from the Russian army. For several weeks he has been strongly criticizing the defense that would leave its troops to their fate. Prigozhin barely appears on Russian television and seems to be pushed into the background by the Kremlin.
But according to British intelligence, Ukraine is also having a hard time with the ammunition in Bakhmut. Because the city is largely surrounded, supplies have become a problem. Kyiv is now deploying helicopters to target Russian targets in the area.
