“Russian troops exterminated” Ukraine recaptures areas near Bakhmut
05/10/2023 12:12 pm
Although the full-scale counter-offensive from Ukraine is not expected in Bakhmut, the troops are still gaining ground there. Regular Russian troops, in particular, suffered losses and then fled. Wagner’s boss Prigozhin is out of his mind.
In eastern Ukraine, southwest of Bakhmut, Ukrainian and Russian troops again fought heavy battles, according to both warring parties. “The attacks were carried out at a width of three kilometers and a depth of 2.6 kilometers,” the founder of the controversial Ukrainian Azov regiment, Andriy Biletsky, said on Wednesday night in Telegram.
The territory is completely free of Russian soldiers. At least two companies of the Russian army were allegedly wiped out and taken prisoner. Furthermore, Ukrainian troops would have destroyed various military equipment belonging to the Russian attackers, according to Biletsky. Wagner units would also have suffered losses.
The head of the Russian Wagner mercenary force, Yevgeny Prigozhin, had already complained that the regular army was retreating on the flank of his units. “They abandoned everything, fled and exposed the front in a width of almost two kilometers and five hundred meters deep”, complained the 61-year-old technician. Three square kilometers of territory were ceded. Prigozhin warned against further Ukrainian advances on the flanks of his units in Bakhmut.
It would be the first major territorial gains by Ukrainian troops in the region after Russian attackers continued to gain land. Recently, there have been repeated reports of skirmishes between different military units on the Russian side. In addition to the Wagner mercenaries, who are the most important units there, regular Russian units and other mercenary groups are also fighting in Bakhmut. The latter complained recently that it had only been used by Wagner’s mercenaries to protect the flanks.
Ukraine has been repelling a Russian invasion for over 14 months. The Ukrainian-controlled city of Bakhmut in the Donetsk region has been the focus of hostilities for months. A major counteroffensive by the Ukrainian army has been expected for weeks.