Ukrainian servicemen fire an anti-tank grenade launcher at the front line near the city of Bakhmut on May 3.
Russia redeploys forces in Bakhmut
According to Reuters, the Russian Defense Ministry said on May 12 that its forces had repelled a series of deliberate Ukrainian attacks on positions in the east. In a statement, the Russian Defense Ministry said Ukraine had deployed more than 1,000 soldiers and up to 40 tanks in 26 attempts to attack along a frontline stretching more than 95 kilometers (60 miles). The attacks took place in the direction of the city of Soledar in the Donetsk region, which is under Russian control.
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"All Ukrainian attacks were repelled. Russia did not allow the defense line to be breached," the Russian Defense Ministry said.
In the same statement, the Russian Defense Ministry admitted that its forces had pulled back slightly in one area of the front line and were holding “more advantageous positions” near the Berkhivka reservoir northwest of Bakhmut.
However, the leader of the Russian mercenary group Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, said what the Russian Defense Ministry was describing as a "defeat" was in fact "a defeat." He accused the regular troops of fleeing.
Prigozhin also said Ukraine had been able to regain full control of a key supply route linking Bakhmut to the city of Chasiv Yar, and had also gained higher ground. The Wagner leader pointed out that if Russia continued to lose more areas in Bakhmut, Ukrainian forces could gradually encircle it.
Mr Prigozhin has repeatedly accused senior Russian leaders of sabotaging Wagner’s efforts in Bakhmut by failing to provide them with ammunition and equipment. This week, Mr Prigozhin said Russian regular forces were neglecting to protect Bakhmut’s flanks.
US pledges to deliver enough weapons for Ukraine to counterattack
However, in a statement on May 12, the Russian Defense Ministry appeared to deny the accusations, saying that Ukraine's attempts to counterattack Bakhmut's flanks had been repelled.
Military helicopter crashes in Crimea, 2 dead
TASS news agency quoted the Russian Defense Ministry as saying that two Russian pilots were killed on May 12 when a Russian Mi-28 military helicopter crashed in the Crimean peninsula.
The accident occurred at 15:42 (local time) when the helicopter was performing a training flight in the Dzhankoi region, northern Crimea and was not carrying weapons.
The Russian Defense Ministry said a technical malfunction caused the crash. Russian authorities have opened an investigation to determine the exact cause of the incident.
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Black Sea Fleet actively participates in military campaigns
Russia's Krasnaya Zvezda newspaper on May 12 quoted the Commander of the Black Sea Fleet, Vice Admiral Viktor Sokolov, as saying that the Black Sea Fleet's coastal missile and artillery units have attacked 70 Ukrainian military targets since the start of the special military operation.
"In addition, Bastion and Bal coastal missile systems were actively used. The missiles mainly attacked command posts, airfields, positions of air defense units and surface combat forces of the Ukrainian Navy. In total, coastal missile units and artillery forces of the fleet attacked 70 Ukrainian targets," Sokolov said.
According to Mr. Sokolov, while supporting the Russian army in the coastal direction, the fleet's landing ships used multiple missile launchers to attack targets on shore. "Unmanned aerial vehicles were also used for reconnaissance, target designation and fire adjustment," the Black Sea Fleet commander added.
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