RUSSIANS HOLD EASTERN BAKHMUT BUT UKRAINIANS CONTROL THE WEST: REPORT

Sat 11 March 2023:

The river Bakhmutka, which flows through the city centre, is now the front line, according to a daily intelligence update tweeted by the Ministry of Defence in London.

The Russian mercenary group Wagner currently controls the majority of the eastern half of the beleaguered Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, although the Ukrainian army still holds the western part of the city.

According to the report, Kiev forces have demolished important bridges across the river in the Ukrainian-controlled west of the city. The river cuts through a strip of open land that is 200 to 800 meters wide.

“With Ukrainian units able to fire from fortified buildings to the west, this area has become a killing zone, likely making it highly challenging for Wagner forces attempting to continue their frontal assault westwards,” the report added.

Nonetheless, an encirclement of Bakhmut from the north and south “remains exposed” to Ukrainian forces and their supply lines.

Since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine more than a year ago, the British Ministry of Defence has been publishing daily updates on the state of the war, citing intelligence data. London is accused with a deliberate disinformation effort by Moscow.

Recruitment drive

Mercenary force boss Yevgeny Prigozhin said his Wagner private army has opened recruitment centres in 42 Russian cities as he seeks to replenish the army’s ranks after heavy losses in fighting for the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut.

In an upbeat audio message on Friday, Prigozhin said new fighters were coming forward but gave no indication of the numbers involved. He also said ammunition supplies from the Russian army had improved but remained a concern.

“In spite of the colossal resistance of the Ukrainian armed forces, we will go forward,” he said. “Despite the sticks in the wheels that are thrown at us at every step, we will overcome this together.”

Wagner mercenaries have been at the forefront of some of the fiercest fighting in Russia’s attempt to take control of Bakhmut, where the Ukrainian army is still holding out after more than seven months of warfare – a bloody campaign Prigozhin calls “the meat grinder”.

In a separate post on social media on Friday, Prigozhin said Ukraine was preparing a counteroffensive near Bakhmut, adding: “Of course we are doing everything we can to prevent this from happening.”

Prigozhin has acknowledged taking severe losses in Bakhmut and at one point posted a gruesome photo of lines of Wagner corpses. He has also waged a public feud with Russian military chiefs over his army’s ammunition shortages.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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