Ukrainian fighters resisting the Russian offensive on the city of Bakhmut have denounced the presence of civilian corpses in the streets and an intensification of fighting in the east of the town.
One of the members of a battalion of Chechens who support Ukraine, Khalid Makiazhohas recounted by phone from Bakhmut in statements to skynews that the violence of the combats prevents collecting the bodies, has recounted the “generalized destruction” of the town and has denounced the “chaotic bombardment”.
The civilians who are still in the city take refuge in basements and only come out when they have no other option to get food. “There are still people in the city. Some are elderly and there are also corpses of civilians. We are trying to recover them, but there is no way “he pointed.
Makhiazo has stressed that Russian forces have not taken the center of the city and remain on the outskirts despite official statements to the contrary. However, he has acknowledged that things can change “incredibly fast”.
“They are on the outskirts. Yes, they are here, but the city is under our control. I think there will be more fighting. We are not going to hand over the city just like that.”he warned.
Meanwhile, Moscow has assured that in the last 24 hours it has killed more than 220 Ukrainian fighters. “During the day, an infantry fighting vehicle, three armored fighting vehicles, seven vehicles and a D-30 artillery gun have also been destroyed,” the Russian Defense Ministry reported.
On Saturday it was Kiev that reported more than 500 Russian servicemen killed or wounded in the past 24 hours in fighting for control of Bakhmut, where Russian forces and their allies from the Wagner mercenary group continue to try to encircle the town.
Moscow has stressed that the capture of Bakhmut would be a serious blow to the Ukrainian defenses and would be a major step forward in controlling the entire Donbas region.
For his part, the retired lieutenant colonel of the People’s Militia of the self-proclaimed people’s republic of Lugansk, Andrey Marochkoreported that Russian troops occupied favorable positions in the industrial zone of the Bakhmut AZOM metallurgical plant.
“In the city of Artiomovsk (Russian name for Bakhmut) assault groups occupied favorable positions in the industrial zone of the metal processing plant” AZOM, he told the Russian agency TASS.
According to Marochko, these positions allow the Russian troops “to control the movements of the enemy, in addition to creating a good beachhead for the future advance of our forces.”
The day before, the head of the group of Russian mercenaries Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhinreported that these forces approached just over a kilometer from the administrative center of the city.
The founder of the Russian private army Wagner recorded the video from the roof of a Bakhmut building, near the front line, and showed the location of the main Ukrainian fortifications overcome by Russian forces so far.
For its part, the US Institute for War Studies (ISW) found that “geolocated images (…) indicate that Russian forces have advanced to new positions in the northwest of Bakhmut, 800 meters from the metal processing plant AZOM,” he said.
According to the ISW, Russian forces could attempt a frontal attack on the highly fortified plant, an assault that “will likely be very costly for the Wagner group.”
With information from Europa Press and EFE
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Source-www.infobae.com