The leader of Russia’s Wagner paramilitary group, Yevgeny Prigojin, said on Monday there was heavy fighting in Bakhmut, in eastern Ukraine, indicating his troops are getting more ammunition after threatening to withdraw from this front.
Prigojin, who has been in open conflict with the Russian military hierarchy for months, on Friday threatened to withdraw his fighters from this Ukrainian city, which has been under attack by Russian troops since August last year, if he does not receive more ammunition from the army.
On Sunday he announced that he had already been promised that his men would be supplied.
“According to initial information, we are starting to receive ammunition”said Prigojin in an audio recording broadcast by his press office on Telegram.
According to the leader of the mercenary group, Russian troops advanced 130 meters in Bakhmut on the last day: “The fighting is fierce. The groups are advancing and will continue to advance,” he said, adding that Ukrainian troops now occupy only 2.36 square meters. meters control kilometers from the city.
For its part, the Ukrainian General Staff simply reported that “hostilities continue in the city of Bakhmut”, with “unsuccessful offensive actions” by Russian forces.
The battle for Bakhmut, the longest of the conflict, was marked by heavy casualties on both sides, despite doubts about the city’s strategic importance.
Ukraine has said it has been preparing for months for a major counter-offensive, which looks increasingly imminent or is even underway, according to local Ukrainian military sources and various analysts.
The military offensive launched by Russia in Ukraine on February 24, 2022 has so far led to the flight of more than 14.6 million people – 6.5 million internally displaced persons and more than 8.1 million to European countries – according to the latest data from the UN, which classifies this refugee crisis as the worst in Europe since World War II (1939-1945).
At least 18 million Ukrainians need humanitarian aid and 9.3 million need food aid and housing.
The Russian invasion – justified by the Russian President, Vladimir Putin, with the need to “denazify” and demilitarize Ukraine for Russian security – was condemned by the international community at large, which responded by sending weapons to Ukraine and Russia political and economic sanctions.
The UN presented 8,791 civilian deaths and 14,815 wounded as confirmed since the start of the war, underlining that these numbers are well below the real ones.
Source: DN
