On Friday, Russia acknowledged that its forces had been pushed back into the Bakhmut sector for the first time, in what appeared to be the first major offensive by Ukrainian forces in months.
According to a Russian Defense Ministry spokesman, Kyiv forces launched an attack with “more than 1,000 men and 40 tanks” north of Bakhmut, forcing some Russian units to retreat to “more advantageous defensive positions” northwest of the city.
However, the head of the Wagner Group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, who harshly criticized the actions of regular Russian troops, assures that this was not a tactical withdrawal, but a “complete defeat” of the Moscow troops. Recall that it was Prigozhin who first announced the Ukrainian offensive in Bakhmut on Thursday, guaranteeing that this was the beginning of the expected counter-offensive of the Kyiv forces.
Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Anna Malyar confirmed this Friday that her forces had advanced about two kilometers in recent days in the Bakhmut area, but denied that this was the start of an expected counteroffensive. President Volodymyr Zelensky also assured the day before that the Kyiv forces were “not yet ready” for a counteroffensive.
Author: Ricardo Ramos
Source: CM Jornal
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