War information chaos in Bakhmut

Lots of conflicting information

While the two sides struggled on the front lines, the information front around Bakhmut was also extremely chaotic with a series of contradictory statements. TASS news agency reported that the Russian Defense Ministry on May 11.5 denied that the line around the city of Bakhmut, Donetsk region, was broken by Ukraine. Russia also said its strike forces were making progress west of Bakhmut with air and artillery support.

Moscow's statement came after Russian military bloggers wrote about Ukraine breaking through its defenses. Earlier on May 11.5, Ukraine also announced an attack on the Russian stronghold in Bakhmut. According to Reuters, the fact that Russia has to deny Ukraine's advance shows that the operation is really difficult for Moscow.

Ukraine's Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar in a Telegram post on May 12.5 said that Ukrainian forces did not lose a single position in Bakhmut this week, but also repelled Russia 2 km. Maliar also urged the Ukrainian people to ignore the "false information" that Russia gives.

Maliar also said Ukraine was responding to Russian attacks with defensive and counter-attacking operations, noting that this had been going on for months and was not part of a major Ukrainian counter-offensive. In contrast, the leader of Russia's Wagner mercenary group Yevgeny Prigozhin said the Ukrainian counter-offensive had actually taken place around Bakhmut and that Ukraine was partially succeeding.

CNN reported that Prigozhin in a letter to Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu on May 12.5 continued to complain about the lack of ammunition that caused the defeat of this force in Bakhmut. However, Reuters quoted Colonel Roman Hryshchenko, commander of Ukraine's 127th Territorial Defense Brigade, as saying that the situation on the ground showed that Wagner was not short of ammunition as claimed. Hryshchenko said Wagner attacked continuously, even the intensity of artillery and rocket fire increased in recent days.

Ukraine receives more weapons

Western weapons are also continuing to be shipped to Ukraine so that the country can prepare for the planned counterattack. According to CNN, British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace announced on May 11.5 that he had supplied Storm Shadow long-range cruise missiles to Ukraine. Mr. Wallace said Storm Shadow is a long-range precision strike weapon, giving Ukraine the ability to defend against Russian offensive actions. Ukraine has pledged not to use this missile to attack internationally recognized Russian territory.

The decision makes Britain the first country to supply long-range missiles to Ukraine. Storm Shadow, launched from fighter jets, has a range of about 250 km. To date, the longest-range missile provided by the West to Ukraine is the Land Launched Small Diameter Bomb (GLSDB) with a range of about 150 km. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on May 11.5 protested Britain's action and warned Russia would respond accordingly.

Poland's permanent representative to the European Union (EU) on May 11.5 also said on Twitter that the West has handed over 28 planes and 575 tanks to Ukraine. Earlier, EU High Commissioner for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell stated that since Russia began its special military operation, EU countries have sent 17,45 worth of weapons and ammunition, $17.000 billion to Ukraine. The EU has also completed the training of 1 soldiers and plans to deliver XNUMX million rounds of artillery shells before the end of the year.