The Russian military forces are facing a “difficult” situation in Bakhmut. This is what the Russian leader of Ukraine’s Donetsk region – which recognized its independence and was later annexed by Moscow – said. The Ukrainian army shows no intention of withdrawing.
For Russia, capturing Artyomovsk — the Soviet-era name for the city of Bakhmut — would allow it to launch a further offensive into Ukraine.
“The situation in Artyomovsk remains complex and difficult,” Denis Bosheli, the Russian leader of the Donetsk region, said in an interview with state television. “That is, we do not see any indications that the enemy will simply withdraw its units.”
The Russians have been trying to besiege and seize Bakhmut for months, but to no avail. The battle in this area became the bloodiest since the beginning of the conflict, as the city’s infrastructure was completely destroyed.
Yevgeny Prigozhin, the leader of the Wagner mercenary group responsible for commanding the forces in Bakhmut, maintains that his forces control practically half of the city and that the only available exit route remains under Ukrainian control.
The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, has already said – many times – that he will not withdraw his forces from Bakhmut.
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