Ukrainian armed forces prepare for a imminent counteroffensiveafter a senior commander stated that the defense of the city of Bakhmutunder intense Russian siege, is necessary to “buy timebefore his onslaught.
Previously, the british intelligence claimed that the front line changed in the battle for Bakhmutthe longest and bloodiest of the russian invasionbut that it would be “extremely difficult” for Russia to make further advances in the devastated town.
Some military experts have questioned the sense of securing the city, but the commander of the Ukrainian ground forces, Oleksandr Syrsky, I affirm that helps save time in preparation for a future counteroffensive.
“The real heroes are the defenders who carry the weight of the Eastern Front on their shoulders.”, declared the person in charge, quoted by the press service of the Ukrainian army.
“It is necessary to buy time to accumulate reserves and launch a counteroffensive, which is not far off”, he stated.
In a video, the head of the mercenary group WagnerYevgeny Prigozhin assured that his forces were already close to the administrative center of Bakhmut.
“This is the municipal administration building,” he said, pointing to the construction from the roof of another building.
“They are one kilometer and two hundred meters”, he specified in the recording released by his company Concord.
“The most important thing is to get the right amount of ammunition and move forward,” added Prigozhin in military dress.
Prigozhin’s men are in the front line in the battle of Bakhmutwhich caused heavy losses on both sides.
The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense reported on Saturday that its forces repelled “more than 100 enemy attacks” throughout the day on the Eastern Front.
Death zone
In an interview with the French newspaper Daily newspaperUkrainian Deputy Prime Minister, Olga Stefanishinahighlighted the human cost of the Russian siege on Bakhmut.
“Thousands of Russian soldiers died at a considerable rate in this battle.”, he claimed. “The human mass of his infantry is a formidable weapon, seemingly endless in volume and time.”
But even if they capture the “small town,” he added, “it will not impact the strategic corridors that we still control in the region”.
According to British military intelligence, the Bakhmutka River, in the center of the city, now marks the front line.
“Ukrainian forces hold the west of the town and have demolished key bridges over the river, which runs north-south across open ground,” Britain’s Defense Ministry said.
“This area has become a kill zone, and could prove a major challenge to Wagner’s forces. who seek to continue their frontal assault to the west,” he added.
Prigozhin, an ally of the president Vladimir Putinhas been embroiled in a power struggle with the Defense Ministry, and has criticized the Russian military high command, accusing it of not sharing ammunition with the forces of Wagner.
But on Saturday he changed his tune and praised Russia’s top military officials, saying he “absolutely, totally supports their initiatives.”
shelling in Kherson
In southern Ukraine, at least three people died and two were injured in a Russian bombardment Khersonthe authorities reported.
The city was liberated by kyiv forces in November, after several months of occupation. But since then, the region, which Moscow partially controls, has been the target of continuous Russian bombing.
“Russian terrorists bombard again Kherson”, said the head of the presidential administration, Andriy Yermak, who published an image of firefighters next to a burnt-out vehicle.
Several cars were damaged after the bombardment.
Galina Kolisnik, 53, escaped “tragedy”, tells the AFP.
The woman was “inside a store” when she heard the explosions.
“We went inside and, five minutes later, the tragedy occurred,” he explained. “Our car was hit (…) it’s horrible,” she added.
(With information from AFP)
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Source-www.infobae.com