The commander of the Ukrainian land forces, Olexander Syrskyj, described the situation around the embattled town of Bakhmut as continuing to be difficult. “Wagner’s Assault Groups are attacking from multiple directions, trying to break through the defenses of our forces and advance into the city center,” Syrskyi said, according to a statement by the Ukrainian military on Monday.
The Ukrainian units inflicted “noticeable losses” on the enemy with artillery and tanks. “The defense of the fortress continues!” the colonel-general assured.
According to Ukrainian military observers, the Russian units have made up ground primarily north and northeast of Bakhmut. Battles around several towns north of Bakhmut were also reported in the General Staff’s morning report.
Ukrainian counterattack expected
On the Russian side, a Ukrainian counterattack to relieve Bakhmut in the Donetsk region is increasingly expected. The head of Wagner’s mercenary unit, Yevgeny Prigoschin, first mentioned this in a video message as a threat scenario for his units. According to Russian reports, several Ukrainian brigades were deployed between the cities of Sloviansk and Kostyantynivka. So far, however, the mud that occurs in spring has not allowed rapid advances off paved roads.
Ukraine has been repelling a Russian invasion for over a year. Including the Crimean Peninsula, which Russia annexed in 2014, almost a fifth of Ukraine’s territory is under Russian control.
