A Ukrainian tank fires at Russian positions near Bakhmut, March 9, 2023.
Kyiv – The situation in Bakhmut remains difficult, but Ukrainian defenders repel all Russian attacks , who are trying to conquer a city in the east of the country. This was stated today by the Commander of the Ukrainian Ground Forces, Oleksandr Syrskyi. Yevgeny Prigozhin also talks about the difficult situation in connection with Bakhmut, whose Russian mercenaries from Wagner's group are largely involved in the conquest of the city. This was reported by the Reuters agency.
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“The situation around Bakhmut remains complex. The offensive units of the Wagner group are advancing from several directions, trying to break through our defenses and advance to the central part of the city,” Ukrainian media platform Military Media Center quoted Syrsky as saying. “All attempts by the enemy to capture the city are repulsed by artillery, tanks and other means of fire. The defense of the fortress continues!” he added.
Bakhmut is currently one of the flashpoints of the war in Ukraine, where some of the heaviest fighting is taking place in the conflict that Moscow unleashed more than a year ago. There are reports of many dead or wounded on both sides. Russian troops have advanced north and south of the city in recent weeks and are threatening to encircle the Ukrainian defenders. Ukraine now controls the western part of the city, while the eastern part is already held by Russian forces.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi's office announced last week that both Syrskyi and Chief of the General Staff Valery Zaluzhnyi had agreed to continue the defense of Bakhmut. In recent days, Syrskyj has repeatedly visited the besieged city in the Donetsk region to see the situation on the spot.
The head of the Russian mercenary Wagner group Prigozhin also said on Sunday that the situation in Bachmut is “difficult, very difficult”. “The closer we get to the center of the city, the harder the fighting becomes (…) Ukrainians are throwing endless reserves into the fight. But we are advancing and we will advance,” Prigozhin was quoted as saying by Reuters. He also said that his troops are receiving more ammunition from the Russian military than before. Prigozhin further announced a “restart” and new recruits to his group as soon as Bakhmut is captured.
Ukrainian General Staff said in its briefing this morning< /i> that Russian forces continue offensive operations in the direction of Lyman, Bakhmut, Avdijivka, Marjinka and Shakhtarsk. According to him, Ukrainian forces have repelled 102 attacks in these areas over the past day, including four near Bakhmut. “The enemy does not stop trying to capture the city of Bakhmut,” stated the command of the Ukrainian army.
Ukrainian President Zelenskyi said late Sunday that his troops had killed more than 1,100 Russian soldiers near Bakhmut in recent days, and another 1,500 had been eliminated from the fight due to injuries. The Ministry of Defense in Moscow announced on Sunday that Russian forces had killed more than 220 Ukrainian soldiers in the Donetsk region in the last 24 hours.
Statements by individual parties to the conflict cannot be directly verified by independent sources in wartime conditions. Neither side of the conflict reports their war losses.
