Ukrainian Forces Push Back Russian Troops in Bakhmut Region, Reports Confirm

“We heard the report given by the general [Oleksandrs] Sirskis, whose units stopped the enemy with enormous efforts and even pushed them back in some directions,” Zelenskis said on the Telegram platform.

The situation in other sectors of the front is also under control, he added.

“Our defenders have moved forward by two kilometers in the Bakhmut sector,” Deputy Minister of Defense of Ukraine Hanna Maliara confirmed on the Telegram platform.

In the course of the week, no position in the city itself has been abandoned, but significant losses have been inflicted on the Russian troops, she added.

In Moscow, Igor Konashenkov, the press representative of the Ministry of Defense of Russia, admitted that Russian troops had left the area northwest of Bakhmut near the village of Berhivka, calling the incident a regrouping.

Commenting on the version of the representative of the Russian Ministry, the founder of the Russian mercenary group “Wagner” Yevgeniy Prigozhin explained that it was not a regrouping of Russian units, but an escape.

“Comrade Konashenkov, to put it mildly, lied. It was simply the escape of the Russian Ministry of Defense from the flanks,” Prigozhin pointed out.

A number of Russian war reporters and military bloggers have also reported on successful attacks by Ukrainian troops in the Bakhmut region, while there are speculations about the start of the long-awaited Kyiv counter-offensive.

VIDEO: Prigozhin criticizes the Russian army

“Capturing Bakhmut means nothing because flanks are crumbling, the front is failing…it will lead to global tragedy for Russia” – Prigozhin continues blaming the Russian army for fleeing and leaving 5 km near Bakhmut. pic.twitter.com/Vg42WXhxL6

— Anton Gerashchenko (@Gerashchenko_en) May 12, 2023