Ukraine’s military claimed that it had made new advances on Wednesday (May 17) in heavy fighting near the eastern city of Bakhmut. The war-torn nation also claimed that Russia was continuing to send in new units including paratroopers. But also admitted that Moscow’s forces were pushing deeper inside the town.
News agency Reuters reported that President Volodymyr Zelensky mentioned sustained Russian shelling in several regions. In a video address, Zelensky said that these attacks showed the need to place further international pressure on Russia.
What military spokesman Serhiy Cherevatyi said, indicated that Russian forces have been pushed back in some areas.
“We are successfully conducting a defensive operation, counterattacking and during this day our units have penetrated up to 500 metres in some parts,” he told Ukrainian television.
Cherevatyi also noted that there was no sign that would suggest that Russian forces were short of ammunition, as claimed by Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of the Wagner mercenary group.
Cherevatyi said, “The enemy is seeking to take over the city at will, striking with all systems and calibres. They are moving new units there (to Bakhmut), primarily paratroopers, in an attempt to achieve some kind of intermediate success.”
Today, the 🇷🇺 shelling of our Kherson region claimed the life of another child. A boy. His name was Vsevolod. He would have turned six years old in July.
It was another artillery attack by 🇷🇺 terrorists. People were just on the street near an ordinary store.Regular 🇷🇺 shelling… pic.twitter.com/gsHZPNDpSd
— Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) May 17, 2023
In a recent development, Prigozhin said that his fighters have advanced in Bakhmut amid fierce fighting surrounded by the remaining buildings still controlled by Ukrainian troops.
Prigozhin posted on the Telegram channel of his Concord Group: “Wagner PMC has advanced 260 meters [0.16 miles] more in Bakhmut. The enemy now occupies 1.85 km of territory [1.15 miles].”
Admitting the fierce fighting, he said, “The enemy offers fierce resistance. They fight for every house, every entranceway, every square meter of territory, despite the fact that the enemy only occupies a tiny percentage of territory.”
Ukraine’s Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar claimed on Tuesday that the forces have liberated substantial areas to the north and south of the embattled eastern city of Bakhmut in the Donetsk region in the past few days.
Malyar said in a statement on social media: “In the last few days, our troops liberated around 20 square kilometres (7.7 square miles) in the north and south of the outskirts of Bakhmut.”
“At the same time, the enemy is advancing in some measure inside Bakhmut itself and is completely destroying the town with artillery,” the statement added.
Disclaimer: A number of claims and counterclaims are being made on the Ukraine-Russia conflict on the ground and online. While WION takes utmost care to accurately report this developing news story, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos.
(With inputs from agencies)
You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.
