Rosalind Evans
In the ongoing conflict near Bakhmut, Ukrainian forces have asserted that their counterattacks are proving successful. According to Prigozhin, the Russian mercenary leader who leads the group Wagner, Kyiv has reclaimed some territory in the region.
Prigozhin accused a Russian brigade of abandoning its position in the front-line Bakhmut, which allowed Ukraine to seize territory. He reiterated these complaints on Thursday, asserting that the areas previously captured by his fighters, at the cost of heavy casualties, were now being lost to the Ukrainians.
Furthermore, Prigozhin accused Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky of dishonesty after Zelensky stated that Kyiv needed more time before launching a highly anticipated counteroffensive. Prigozhin declared on his official social media channels, “Zelensky is lying. The counteroffensive is in full swing.”
While Ukrainian military officials have referred to the counterattacks around Bakhmut mentioned by Prigozhin as part of a “positional struggle,” they clarify that these actions do not necessarily indicate a larger-scale counteroffensive effort.
As a result of a months-long assault by Russian forces, including Wagner mercenaries, thousands of people have been displaced and extensive damage has been done to Bakhmut. While Russian manpower was deployed heavily to capture the city, they failed to gain complete control and suffered heavy losses.
A commander of the Ukrainian Land Forces, Colonel-General Oleksandr Syrskyi, said on Telegram, “We are achieving results through effective actions of our units in the Bakhmut sector because of our well-thought-out defence.” In some fronts, the enemy could not resist the onslaught of Ukrainian defenders and retreated up to two kilometres..”
The enemy has failed to capture Bakhmut, despite the significant concentration of troops and bold claims by Russian war criminals about their intentions to seize the Ukrainian city by May 9. Syrskyi said our defence forces are holding the frontline firmly and preventing the enemy from advancing. “The battle for Bakhmut continues.”
A Telegram message from Prigozhin lamented, “The situation on the western flanks is deteriorating under the worst scenarios. Those territories liberated with the blood and lives of our comrades, where progress was made daily by dozens or hundreds of meters over many months, are now abandoned almost without any fight by those who are supposed to secure our flanks.”
Prigozhin’s perspective sharply contrasts with a Ukrainian battalion commander who informed that Russian regular forces offered the most substantial resistance, while the Wagner units were the first to retreat, stating, “They just ran the hell out of there.”
Prigozhin also indicated that Ukrainian forces have managed to advance south of Bakhmut. He previously expressed frustration that a Russian brigade had “fled” from the Bakhmut area, allowing Ukrainians to capture several kilometres of territory. In his comments, Prigozhin stated, “A unit of the Ministry of Defense fled from one of our flanks, abandoning their positions. A front nearly 2 kilometres wide and 500 meters deep was left exposed.”
He also blamed another private military contractor called “The Blue Torch” for the setback, stating they “scattered just like the 72nd Brigade did.”
He stated that the leaders and management were responsible for the issue rather than the soldiers themselves, saying, “It’s not the soldiers’ problem.” The problem lies with those who set the tasks and manage them. Fish rot from the head. A soldier leaves the trenches because he does not want to die in vain. Soldiers may fail, but they shouldn’t die because of the utter stupidity of their leaders.”
These recent developments represent a significant shift in the dynamics of the area, where gains and losses have typically been measured in just a few meters.
According to a well-known Russian military blogger in the region, regular Russian forces are now responsible for defending Bakhmut’s flanks, while Wagner has increased its presence within the city.
A Ukrainian commander in the Bakhmut area affirmed on Thursday that Ukrainian units had successfully targeted the flanks of the Russian forces, resulting in their retreat. The sides of the enemy are cracking, according to Taras Deyak of the Karpatska Sich tactical group. Intelligence has been tracking and reporting on this. Several planned measures have been implemented and are still in progress.”
He added, “We are, so to speak, unclenching the pincers,” referring to the attempts by Russian forces to squeeze Bakhmut since the beginning of the year.
Deyak acknowledged the challenging and tense situation within the city of Bakhmut, noting that the enemy had occupied a significant portion of it. However, he emphasized that Ukrainian forces held on to strategic high-rise buildings, which provided a crucial advantage.
Regarding Prigozhin’s claim of ammunition shortages among his fighters, Deyak dismissed it, stating that Russian artillery continued to shell relentlessly. He also mentioned that new Russian forces, unaware of the situation in the city, were arriving, leading to casualties and captures on the Ukrainian side.
Deyak alleged that Prigozhin was amassing larger forces in the city in pursuit of a political victory, aiming to capture it politically. Since there were not enough combatants available, he reallocated troops from the flanks and assigned defence responsibilities to regular units of the Russian army.
Based on geolocated footage, the Institute for the Study of War believes Ukrainian forces successfully conducted limited counterattacks near Khromove (just west of Bakhmut) and Bila Hora (14 kilometres southwest of Bakhmut), resulting in some minor territorial gains.
While the Russian Ministry of Defense claimed that Airborne Forces (VDV) were constraining Ukrainian actions on the flanks around Bakhmut, other Russian units deployed in the area, including the 72nd Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade, have reportedly suffered significant losses, according to Ukrainian estimates.
The 72nd Brigade, which primarily consisted of volunteers, is emblematic of the persistent force generation issues faced by the Russian military. It was previously severely depleted during Ukraine’s sudden offensive in Kharkiv last September.
The situation near Bakhmut remains fluid and volatile, with both sides fiercely fighting for control. As the conflict continues, the outcome in Bakhmut will undoubtedly have significant implications for the overall trajectory of the ongoing battle between Ukraine and Russia.
