Despite the heavy losses incurred by both sides, Bakhmut is still the link between the two sides of the conflict in Ukraine.
Despite the continuation of the battles amid talk of Russian control, the Institute for the Study of War pointed out that Moscow’s progress in the important region appears to be faltering.
No evidence of the Russians advancing
The Washington-based center added that Russian forces and units from the “Wagner Group” continue ground attacks there.
He also pointed out that there is no evidence confirming that the Russians have been able to make any progress so far.
Despite the heavy losses incurred by both sides, the Ukrainian forces continue to defend Bakhmut, with the aim of “gaining time” before launching a counterattack in the face of the advance of Russian forces in this city in eastern Ukraine, which Moscow has been trying to seize since the summer.
And the commander of the Ukrainian ground forces, Oleksandr Sersky, confirmed today, Sunday, that the launch of a counterattack is soon.
Wagner is powerless
He said, “We must gain time to gather reserves and launch a counterattack, which is not far away,” according to what was reported by AFP.
More than 100 attacks
This came after the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense announced yesterday that its fighters repelled “more than 100 enemy attacks” in the main combat areas.
It is noteworthy that the Ukrainian forces still control the west of the city only after demolishing the main bridges over the river that crosses it.
While the Wagner Group advanced, announcing during the past two days its control of the entire eastern front and its approach to the city center. “This is the building of the municipal administration … the administrative center of the city,” said Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of Wagner, in a video broadcast by the press service of his company “Concorde” yesterday, pointing from the roof of one building to another as evidence of this progress.
The Russians have been trying for weeks to surround the city, which had a population of seventy thousand people before the start of the conflict, and succeeded in cutting off important supply routes for Ukrainian soldiers.
