The commander of the ground forces in the Ukrainian army said, in statements published on Monday, that the counterattacks of his forces expelled Russian forces from some locations in Bakhmut, in the east of the country, but he considered that the situation in the city “is still difficult.”
Over the past few months, the battle of Bakhmut has become a focus of a conflict whose front lines have changed little since late last year, leaving both sides grappling for progress.
Statement by the Commander of the Ground Forces, Oleksandr Sersky, on the Telegram application:
• “The situation is very difficult.”
• “At the same time, the enemy in certain areas of the city was counter-attacked by our units and left some positions.”
• “New Russian units, including paratroopers and fighters from Wagner (the Russian special military group), are constantly being pushed into battle despite incurring heavy losses.”
• “But the enemy is unable to control the city.”
In the same context, Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of the Wagner Group, said in a video clip posted on his Telegram channel, on Monday, that his fighters need about 300 tons of artillery shells per day in the attack on Bakhmut, but they receive only a third of that quantity.
Prigozhin added, “300 tons per day equals 10 shipping containers, which is not much at all.”
Prigozhin’s clashes with the Russian defense establishment have been repeated because of its management of the war in Ukraine, and because of what he says is insufficient support for his fighters.
Russian forces have made steadily increasing gains in Bakhmut, but a Ukrainian military spokesman said Sunday that the forces defending the city could still be supplied with food, ammunition and medicine.
Kiev is preparing to launch a highly anticipated counterattack to recapture large swathes of land in the east and south that Russian forces occupied in the wake of the Russian military operation.
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2023-05-01 17:18:44
