TASS news agency quoted Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov as telling a Bosnian television station on Wednesday that the Russian military operation in Ukraine was “very difficult” but would continue.
Peskov added in the interview that Russia has managed to inflict severe damage on the Ukrainian military machine and that this will continue.
He continued, saying: “The special military operation continues. It is a very difficult operation, and of course certain goals have been achieved within a year.”
He noted that Russia had launched countless missile strikes on what he said were military targets across Ukraine.
Ukraine continues to bomb the eastern parts of the country controlled by Russia, which Peskov considered to show the need to continue the conflict and push the forces loyal to Kiev to retreat.
Battle of Bakhmut
A senior Ukrainian military official confirmed on Wednesday that Kiev forces launched counterattacks in Bakhmut, the epicenter of the fighting in the east of the country, forcing Russian forces to retreat in some places.
The battle of Bakhmut, the destroyed city, of which Russian forces control about 95 percent, is the longest and bloodiest since the beginning of the Russian military operation in 2022.
According to the commander of the ground forces of the Ukrainian army, Oleksandr Sersky: “We are launching effective counterattacks. In some areas of the front, the enemy was unable to resist the attack of the Ukrainian defenders and withdrew up to a distance of two kilometers.”
Sersky confirmed that the “Wagner” fighters there have been replaced in some places by units of the Russian regular army, which are less prepared.
“Our defensive forces reliably maintain the front line and prevent the enemy from advancing. The battle of Bakhmut continues,” the Ukrainian military official explained.
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2023-05-11 02:10:01
