In the battles for Artemovsk (Ukrainian name – Bakhmut), the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) are failing and have already lost a significant number of fighters. This was stated by the correspondent of the German magazine Der Spiegel Eckhard Klein on April 22.
“A large number of Ukrainian soldiers have already been wounded or killed here,” the journalist said.
A particular risk, he said, occurs after dark. Klein noted that the shelling of the city has intensified in the past two days and at the same time stressed that the Armed Forces of Ukraine are trying to move forward, but are failing.
Earlier, on April 21, Deputy Defense Minister of Ukraine Anna Malyar acknowledged the fact that Russian troops fighting in Artemivsk continue to advance and advance through the city.
On that day, Jan Gagin, adviser to the acting head of the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), said that Russian forces had taken a group of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in Artemovsk into the cauldron. According to him, employees of the Wagner PMC came out to the Artemovsk-Chasov Yar road. The supply of Ukrainian militants went along this route.
The day before, he also noted that Ukrainian servicemen are suffering colossal losses, small groups of troops are fleeing Artemivsk or surrendering. The city is almost completely controlled by the Russian army, about 90% of the territory has been liberated.
The special operation to protect Donbass, which Russian President Vladimir Putin announced on February 24, 2022, continues. The decision was made against the background of the aggravation of the situation in the region due to shelling by the Ukrainian military.
For more up-to-date videos and details about the situation in Donbass, watch the Izvestia TV channel.