Europe

Ukraine claims that it regained territories on the Bakhmut front; Moscow denies it

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Ukraine is gaining ground on Bakhmut’s flank, as announced this Friday, May 12, by the military commanders of the invaded country. Although the Russian Ministry of Defense denied the situation and qualified that its troops went to more strategic areas, the head of the Wagner paramilitary group accused Moscow of lying and confirmed that it had lost territory around the city, which for months has been disputed. by both parties to the conflict.

Luck changes on Bakhmut’s flank. After weeks of particularly difficult fighting for the Ukrainian troops, they would finally be gaining ground around the city.

The commander of the Ukrainian Land Forces, Oleksandr Syrsky, said this Friday, May 12, in a meeting with President Volodimir Zelensky that his units “stopped the enemy by force and even pushed him back in some directions” in Bakhmut.

For her part, Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Malyar also confirmed that this week the Ukrainian defenders “advanced 2 kilometers in the direction of Bakhmut.”

In recent days, the head of the Russian group of Wagner mercenaries, Yevgeny Prigozhin, had already declared that one of the Russian Army units had fled from one of the flanks of that town, located in the east of the attacked country, leaving without protection an area nearly 2 kilometers wide.

But according to the Russian government, its troops would be repelling Ukrainian counterattacks.

The spokesman for the Ministry of Defense, Igor Konashenkov, assured that “the airborne units stop the attempts of the Armed Forces of Ukraine to counterattack on the flanks” of Bakhmut.

In addition, instead of talking about withdrawing his forces, he indicated that they left to occupy “more favorable positions” near Berkhovskaya, in the northwest of Bakhmut.

Wagner asks Moscow to stop lying

Yevgeny Prigozhin refuted Moscow’s statements about the redistribution of forces north of Bakhmut.

“This is not called regrouping, this is running away,” Prigozhin said in a message posted on social media.

“The flanks are failing. The front is collapsing,” added the head of the mercenary group, explaining that the Ukrainian forces had captured positions around the city, as well as a road leading to Bakhmut from Chasiv Yar, which the forces had previously Russian controlled.

A screenshot from a video released on April 6 shows Yevgeny Prigozhin, founder of the Wagner paramilitary group, in the alleys of a militia cemetery in Russia's Krasnodar region.
A screenshot from a video released on April 6 shows Yevgeny Prigozhin, founder of the Wagner paramilitary group, in the alleys of a militia cemetery in Russia’s Krasnodar region. © AFP

“The attempts of the Ministry of Defense in the information field to sweeten the situation (…) are leading and will lead to a global tragedy for Russia,” Prigozhin said.

“For this reason, we must stop lying immediately,” he concluded.

It is not the first time that tensions have been expressed between the Kremlin and Wagner’s boss, allies on Ukrainian soil. Prigozhin has already repeatedly claimed that Moscow was refusing to deliver ammunition in sufficient numbers and endangering his forces on the ground. On May 5, he even threatened to withdraw from Bakhmut.

A major Ukrainian counter-offensive is expected in the coming weeks with the aim of recovering several territories occupied by Russia, as announced in recent months by kyiv. However, the Ukrainian forces denied that the recent advances around the town of Bakhmut indicated the start of this operation.

On Thursday, President Zelensky said he was delaying the campaign because he lacks enough Western weapons. According to several experts, these comments could be aimed at leaving Russia in the dark about the tactics Ukraine plans to use.

New Ukrainian drone attacks on Crimea

Meanwhile, a new wave of Ukrainian drones was reported in Crimea. According to the commander of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, its defenses are being strengthened to defend against these attacks directed at the port of Sevastopol. Crimea, in southern Ukraine, was annexed by Moscow in 2014.

This photo released by the Sevastopol Government on April 29, 2023 shows firefighters looking at a burning fuel depot in Sevastopol after a drone strike on a fuel depot in Crimea overnight.
This photo released by the Sevastopol Government on April 29, 2023 shows firefighters looking at a burning fuel depot in Sevastopol after a drone strike on a fuel depot in Crimea overnight. © AFP / Government of Sevastopol

“Due to the threat of attacks by robotic surface and underwater drones, the number of technical means of protection of the main base of the fleet and the berths of the ships was increased,” the Russian Defense Ministry told ‘Krásnaya Zvezda’ , official newspaper of the Russian Armed Forces.

The Sevastopol naval base has been the target of multiple attacks by Ukrainian drones in recent weeks. On April 24, the Russian defense said that it had repelled an attack with three naval drones against the Sevastopol Bay. And on May 7, the Russian authorities also claimed that the port had been attacked by at least 10 Ukrainian drones, they said, repelled by the Kremlin’s anti-aircraft defense.

With AP, AFP, Reuters and EFE

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