According to the Defense Ministry, Russian forces “in poor condition” have fled Ukraine’s battlefield town of Bakhmut as the Kiev military retook ground in the besieged city.
Over the past four days, Putin’s men have withdrawn from their positions on the city’s southern flank in the eastern Donetsk region in what the ministry said was a humiliating setback for the Kremlin.
Ukrainian forces are now understood to have retaken at least a kilometer of territory ahead of a long-awaited Ukrainian counteroffensive.
Another distressing piece of news for Putin’s armed forces was the ministry’s statement that it had intelligence agencies in which Russia was struggling with a “significant shortage of credible combat units.”
Moscow acknowledged the military setbacks on Friday, admitting that its forces had fallen back north of Bakhmut in what was reportedly the biggest Ukrainian gain in six months.
To add to Putin’s grief, it was reported that Russia had also ordered the evacuation of thousands of residents of the occupied Kharkiv region as the conflict appears to be heating up.
Ukrainian tanks drive Friday near Bakhmut in the eastern city where fierce fighting against Russian forces continues, in Ukraine’s Donetsk region
Ukrainian soldiers fire a Partyzan multiple-missile system at Russian troops near a front line Friday in Ukraine’s Zaporizhia region during Russia’s onslaught on Ukraine
A Ukrainian soldier looks on Friday in the Donetsk region near Bakhmut, an eastern city where fierce fighting has been raging against Russian forces
“Over the past four days, elements of Russia’s 72nd Separate Motor Rifle Brigade (72SMRB) have withdrawn, probably in disarray, from their positions on the southern flank of the Bakhmut operation. “Ukrainian forces have recaptured at least a kilometer of territory,” said a Defense Ministry intelligence update.
“The area has some tactical importance as it was a Russian bridgehead on the western side of the Donets-Donbas Canal, marking the front line through parts of the sector.”
’72 SMRB is part of Russia’s 3rd Army Corps, a formation created in the fall of 2023 that has consistently faced accusations of poor morale and limited combat effectiveness.
“Deployment in such a demanding and operationally important sector highlights the serious lack of credible combat units in Russia.”
The devastating setback for Russia points to a coordinated push by Kiev to encircle Russian forces in Bakhmut, Moscow’s main target for months during the war’s bloodiest fighting.
“In three days of counter-offensive, Ukrainian forces liberated 6.6 square miles (17.3 square kilometers) of territory in the Bakhmut sector,” Serhiy Cherevatyi, spokesman for the “East” group of Ukrainian armed forces, said on the website Telegram-Messaging- apartment
Both sides report Ukraine’s biggest gains in six months, although Ukraine has given few details and downplayed proposals, a huge, long-planned counter-offensive has officially begun.
Ukrainian soldiers fire a cannon near Bakhmut, an eastern city where fierce fighting against Russian forces has been raging, in Ukraine’s Donetsk region on Friday
Ukrainian soldiers rest on their positions after a battle near the frontline town of Bakhmut in the Donetsk region on Thursday
Ukrainian soldiers carry a wounded soldier at the Bakhmut front in Soledar, Donetsk Oblast, on Friday
Ukrainian soldiers fired a cannon near Bakhmut, an eastern city where fierce fighting against Russian forces has been raging, on Friday
According to them, Ukrainian soldiers were standing next to a captured Russian serviceman at positions they captured in a recent offensive on Friday
Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said Ukraine launched an attack north of Bakhmut involving more than 1,000 troops and up to 40 tanks, a scale that if confirmed would equal Ukraine’s largest offensive since November.
The Russians repelled 26 attacks, but troops in one area fell back to regroup in more favorable positions near the Berkhivka reservoir northwest of Bakhmut, Konashenkov said.
Yevgeny Prigozhin, chief of the Wagner troops that led the campaign in the city, said in an audio message: “Unfortunately, what Konashenkov described is referred to as an ‘escape’ and not a regrouping.”
In a separate video message, Prigozhin said the Ukrainians seized a high ground overlooking Bakhmut and opened the main road leading into the city from the west.
“The loss of the Berkhivka reservoir – the loss of this territory that they gave up – that’s 5 square kilometers, just today,” Prigozhin said.
“The enemy has completely released the Chasiv Yar-Bakhmut road, which we had blocked.” “The enemy is now able to use this road, and secondly, they have captured tactical high altitudes where Bakhmut is located,” Prigozhin said , who over the past week has repeatedly denounced Russia’s regular military for not taking care of his men in Bakhmut.
Russian-based officials said two rockets hit an industrial complex in Luhansk in Russian-held territory about 100 km (60 miles) behind the front lines. Videos published on the Internet showed huge columns of smoke over the city. The attack, which was just outside the range of the main battlefield missiles previously deployed by Ukraine, came a day after Britain announced it would deploy longer-range cruise missiles.
Ukrainian tanks drive near Bakhmut, an eastern city where fierce fighting against Russian forces has been taking place, on Friday
A Ukrainian soldier rests at his post after a battle as Russia’s assault on Ukraine continues on Thursday
A Ukrainian soldier gropes in the dark from a battle as Russia’s assault on Ukraine continues on Wednesday
Ukrainian soldiers rest in their positions as the Russian attack on Ukraine continues near the frontline town of Bakhmut in the Donetsk region on Thursday
The Ukrainian advance near Bakhmut appeared to have started on Tuesday, when a Ukrainian unit southwest of the town said it had defeated a Russian brigade and recaptured some land. Prigozhin also said the Russian Brigade fled there.
In its evening report on Friday, the Ukrainian military command described fighting in Bakhmut and Russian shelling of surrounding towns, but made no mention of Russian advances or retreats.
Prigozhin, whose fighters have been fighting to drive Ukrainian forces out of Bakhmut’s western outskirts, said the northern and southern flanks, guarded by regular Russian troops, had collapsed. The Russian Ministry of Defense denies this.
In his evening address, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the Russians were “already prepared internally for defeat.”
“In their minds, they have already lost this war.” We have to put pressure on them every day so that their sense of defeat turns into their flight, their mistakes, their losses.
Ukraine’s latest win came as it was announced that Germany had offered a new €2.7 billion (£2.37 billion) military equipment package to Ukraine, the largest since invading Russia.
German publications Der Spiegel reported on Saturday that the package included 20 Marder infantry fighting vehicles, 30 Leopard 1 tanks, 15 Gepard anti-aircraft tanks, 200 reconnaissance drones, four additional Iris-T anti-aircraft systems including ammunition , additional artillery ammunition, etc. will include more than 200 armored combat and logistics vehicles.
Russia has also reportedly ordered the evacuation of thousands of residents of the occupied Kharkiv region.
Up to 3,000 people in as many as 29 settlements have been ordered to flee as Ukraine continues to push to retake territory from Putin’s forces.
Ukraine’s recent success came after it was announced that Germany had put together a new package of military equipment for Ukraine
Ukrainian soldiers pictured near the frontline town of Bakhmut in the Donetsk region, Thursday
Ukrainian tanks drive near Bakhmut, an eastern city where fierce fighting against Russian forces has been taking place, on Friday
The Russian military-civilian occupation administration, led by Putin-appointed Vitaly Gantchev, ordered the withdrawal.
The Russian army had retained control of settlements in four districts near Kharkiv despite failing to capture Ukraine’s second largest city last year.
Losing her now would be a humiliation for Putin.
“Due to the increased shelling by the Ukrainian armed forces and in order to avoid civilian casualties, the military and civil administration of the Kharkiv region recommends leaving the territory of our region for a while until favorable living conditions are created,” the message to residents said.
They were told they would receive “all necessary help and support” if they chose to evacuate to Russia.
Russia claimed to have “destroyed” 60 Ukrainian soldiers in bombing and artillery strikes in the Kharkiv region.
The city of Kharkiv is only about 30 kilometers from the Russian border.
Ganchev is accused by Kiev of previously sending Ukrainian children to Russia without their parents.
Footage from Ukrainian television showed fierce fighting in Bakhmut, the scene of the Russian retreat.
The Russian public has been told that this is a “regrouping”.
Ukrainian soldier of the 28th artillery battalion writes a message on a grenade
Ukrainian soldier of the 28th artillery battalion carries a 120mm mortar shell at a Russian target at the zero line in the Bakhmut forest
Russian and Ukrainian armies clash in Donbass, fighting is fierce and battle rages
Ukrainian soldier of the 28th Artillery Battalion prepares a shell for a 120mm mortar at a Russian target
Ukrainian soldier of the 28th artillery battalion carries a 120mm mortar shell at a Russian target at the zero line in the Bakhmut forest
The pro-Putin war channel Rybar described Russia’s withdrawal as “regrettable”.
Rebar admitted that “rotating units of the Russian armed forces are withdrawing to the second and third lines of defense.”
“Ukrainian units don’t stop putting pressure on the flanks.”
The broadcaster explained: “So far, the retreats have been held in relatively small areas, but the [Wagner pro-Kremlin mercenary army] won at a difficult price.
“But if regular units don’t gain a foothold and the troop configuration on the front lines doesn’t change…then the outcome of such reassignments could be even more unfortunate.”
Putin seems to have all but disappeared, a common trait when it comes to bad news.
On Friday, he limited himself to a 16-second appearance at a virtual meeting of his Security Council, where 72-year-old Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov gave a speech.
In recent days, Putin has used “ready-made” footage to cover up his absence.
He met with the governor of Tyumen, but did not mention the currently raging forest fires in the Siberian region.
“It was clearly filmed before the fires,” one comment said.