Ukrainian forces say they are conducting “effective counterattacks” in the Bakhmut area, in comments that are in line with claims from Wagner head Yevgeny Prigozhin that Kyiv has recaptured some territory.
Yevgeny Prigozhin on Wednesday accused a Russian brigade of abandoning its position in front-line Bakhmut, allowing Ukraine to seize territory. He has repeatedly accused the defense ministry of failing to give his forces the supplies they need.
The commander of the Ukrainian land forces, Colonel-General Oleksandr Syrskyi, confirmed in a Telegram post Wednesday that Ukrainian forces have made significant gains in the area.
“Thanks to our well-thought-out defense in the Bakhmut sector, we are getting results from the effective actions of our units. In particular, we are conducting effective counterattacks. In some areas of the front, the enemy was unable to withstand the onslaught of Ukrainian defenders and retreated to a distance of up to 2 kilometers.”
Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of the Wagner private military company, also indicated that Ukrainian forces have been able to advance south of Bakhmut.
In comments made Tuesday, Prigozhin said that “one of the units of the Ministry of Defense fled from one of our flanks, abandoning their positions. They all fled and [laid] bare a front nearly 2 kilometers wide and 500 meters deep.”
Syrski said Ukrainian troops had “exhausted the trained forces of the Wagner PMC and forced them to be replaced in certain areas by less trained units of the Russian regular army, which were defeated and retreated.”
“Despite a significant concentration of troops and loud statements by Russian war criminals about their intentions to take Bakhmut by May 9, the enemy failed to capture the Ukrainian city,” Syrskyi said. “Our defense forces are holding the frontline securely and preventing the enemy from advancing. The battle for Bakhmut continues.”
He singled out the 3rd Separate Assault Brigade, which was involved in an assault on the positions of the 72nd Brigade, and “inflicted a powerful strike on the enemy in the battle,” Syrskyi said.
Some context: Bakhmut is the site of a months-long assault by Russian forces, including Wagner mercenaries, that has driven thousands from their homes and left the area devastated. But despite the vast amounts of manpower Russia has poured into capturing the city, they have been unable to take total control, and on Wednesday suffered heavy losses in the area.
