Interfax today (May 12) quoted the Russian Defense Ministry 's announcement affirming that the country's forces, with the main role belonging to air combat units and artillery, are actively fighting to push Ukraine out of the remaining defensive positions west of the town of Bakhmut in Donetsk province.
According to the Russian Defense Ministry, the Ukrainian side made three attempts to reconnoiter Russian forces in Donetsk and eight attempts to raid Moscow’s targets near Bakhmut, but they were repelled. It is unclear how much damage both sides suffered in the above clashes.
Bakhmut has been at the center of the Russia-Ukraine conflict since last year. Ukraine considers Bakhmut a strategic defensive position, as it lies on the road leading to two important cities in Donetsk Oblast that Kiev still holds: Slovyansk and Kramatorsk.
With the important role of the Wagner private military force, Russia has basically surrounded Bakhmut for many days. Military experts assess that Moscow has the advantage in the war of attrition in Bakhmut thanks to overwhelming firepower and has maintained a high frequency of artillery attacks to cause maximum damage to Ukraine.
In a related development, Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin announced on May 11 that Ukrainian military units had begun a counterattack and were approaching Bakhmut from both flanks. “They have partially succeeded in gaining ground in the eastern outskirts of Bakhmut,” he said.
Asked about Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s statement that Kiev was delaying its counterattack to wait for foreign military aid to limit casualties, Prigozhin said the Ukrainian leader was trying to “deceive” Russia.
However, RiaNovosti on the same day quoted a Wagner member fighting in Bakhmut as saying that the town was “practically liberated” and that Russian forces were now only about 740m from the entrance on the other side of the city.
Source: https://cand.com.vn/the-gioi-24h/nga-day-lui-8-dot-dot-kich-cua-ukraine-o-bakhmut-i693219/
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