Ukraine says Russia reduces attacks in Bakhmut

Ukrainian officials say the Russian military has temporarily reduced attacks in and around Bakhmut to refocus and strengthen its forces.

“Yesterday and today there were no battles either in the city or on its flanks,” Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar said on Telegram on May 27. “Instead, the Russian military is shelling the outskirts and approaches to Bakhmut.”

This week, Wagner forces began handing over positions in Bakhmut to regular Russian troops, after declaring full control of the city. Meanwhile, Ukraine insists its forces still control a small part of the city.

"The Russian military is being replaced and refocused. The enemy is trying to strengthen its strength," Ms. Maliar added.

Ukraine is expected to launch its long-anticipated counter-offensive to retake Russian-controlled territory soon. Oleksiy Danilov, secretary of Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council, said the counter-offensive could begin "tomorrow, the day after, or in a week".

Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin talks with soldiers in Bakhmut in this photo released on May 25. Photo: AFP — Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin talks with soldiers in Bakhmut in this photo released on May 25. Photo: *AFP*

According to Ukrainian presidential aide Mykhailo Podolyak, preliminary operations such as destroying supply routes or blowing up weapons depots have begun.

General Valeriy Zaluzhnyi, Chief of the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, posted a video on Telegram on May 27 showing Ukrainian troops taking an oath and preparing for battle. "It's time to take back what belongs to us," he said.

Meanwhile, the governor of the southern Russian region of Belgorod said he was shelled on May 27 as he tried to enter the town of Shebekino, about 7 km north of the border with Ukraine. "I couldn't even get out of my car. There was shelling right on the neighboring street," Vyacheslav Gladkov wrote on Telegram.

Bakhmut covers an area of approximately 41.6 square kilometers and was home to more than 71,000 people before the war. After Russia launched the second phase of its campaign in Ukraine in April 2022, Bakhmut became the focus of fighting in Donetsk, with both sides trying to control the city.

Ukrainian officials and military commanders have said defending Bakhmut is " militarily essential," and see the city as key to containing Russian forces in the Donbass region and preventing them from advancing further west.

It is unclear whether Russia will continue its westward push after Wagner withdraws from Bakhmut. Officials of the Russian-appointed Donetsk People's Republic have said they will rebuild Bakhmut and rename the city Artemovsk, its Soviet-era name.