Ukrainian soldiers fire a self-propelled howitzer towards Russian positions near Bakhmut, March 10, 2023.
Kyiv – Mercenaries of Russia's Wagner Group have taken control of most of the eastern part of the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut over the past four days, the British Ministry of Defense said in its analysis of the development of fighting in Ukraine. According to him, the front line is now located in the center of the city – by the Bachmutka river. In its regular morning operational report, the Ukrainian General Staff announced that the country's defenders had repelled more than a hundred Russian attacks in eastern Ukraine over the past day.
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Photo gallery: Russian invasion of Ukraine
“Ukrainian forces are holding the western part of the city and have torn down key bridges across the river,” the British Ministry of Defense says of the fighting for Bakhmut, relying on military intelligence. The city, which is one of the main focus of the current fighting and has been fought for for many months, Bachmutka flows from south to north and separates its eastern and western parts.
“Given that Ukrainian troops can direct fire from fortified buildings to the west, this area has become a killing zone,” the British ministry said, adding that the situation is likely to make things difficult for Wagner's group as it tries to continue its attack to the west. The head of the Russian mercenaries, Yevgeny Prigozhin, reported the control of the eastern part of Bakhmut a few days ago.
The US Institute for the Study of War (ISW) says in its latest battlefield situation reportthat the Russian invasion force has made gains in Bakhmut and appears to be “clearing out” eastern part of the city. “New drone footage released on March 10 shows Russian soldiers taking civilians from buildings in eastern Bakhmut to an unknown location at gunpoint,” the institute reports.
“Images released on March 10 indicate that Russian forces have advanced to new positions in northwestern Bakhmut within 800 meters of the AZOM metal processing plant,” ISW adds. Russian military bloggers claim that Wagner Group mercenaries have already entered the plant complex. “The apparent focus of the Russian attack on the AZOM industrial zone suggests that Russian forces are favoring a frontal assault on fortified positions in the tactically challenging industrial area, rather than opting for a wider encirclement of western Bakhmut through attacks on Chromov,” added ISW.
In the morning report, the Ukrainian General Staff stated that the Ukrainians repelled a series of attacks in the vicinity of Bakhmut and in other places in the east of the country. According to him, the Russian invasion forces are focusing their main efforts on offensive actions in the directions of Lyman, Bakhmut, Avdijivka, Marjinka and Shakhtarsk. “In the direction of Lyman, the enemy is trying to improve its tactical position,” describes the command of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. “The enemy carried out defensive actions in the direction of Zaporozhye and Kherson,” the Ukrainian General Staff further claims.
Similar statements by individual parties to the conflict cannot be directly verified by independent sources in the conditions of war.
The Ukrainska Pravda server, citing the leadership of the Kherson and Donetsk regions, reported this morning that Russian invasion forces killed five civilians in these regions on Friday. Over the last day, the Russian occupiers shelled populated areas in the Kherson region 71 times with mortars, salvo rocket launchers, cannons, tanks and attacked using drones, the website writes. According to his later report, the Russians shelled a total of nine Ukrainian regions, including Kharkiv, Chernihiv and Sumy regions.
Zelenskyi: Russia has used more than 5,000 missiles and 1,000 drones since the beginning of the war
Russia has used more than 5,000 missiles and more than 1,000 drones to attack Ukraine since the beginning of the war, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi said on Friday. His words were reported today by The Kyiv Independent, which reminds that the war has been going on for more than a year.
“Why did Russia come to our country? Did it even have a just reason to start this war? There was none. It is a war tyranny against freedom,” Zelenskyy also said during a discussion held remotely by the American think tank American Enterprise Institute.
Russia has been attacking Ukraine continuously since February 24 last year. From time to time, Moscow will intensify the offensive. The last time this happened was on Thursday, when at least six civilians were killed in large-scale airstrikes in Ukraine. The attacks in many places caused power outages as well as the temporary disconnection of the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant from the external grid.
According to the UN, at least 8,000 civilians lost their lives due to the war instigated by Russia. Around 90 percent of them were killed by explosive weapons.
